ill 


:nia 
1 


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EX     L  I  B  R  I  S 


CAPTAIN 

DON      W  I   L  K  I   E 


MASON    LONG, 

THE 

CONVERTED     GAMBLER. 


THE  LIFE 


MASON  LONG, 


BEING  A  RECORD  OF  His  EXPERIENCE  AS  A  WHITE  SLAVE;  A  SOLDIER 

OP  THE  TURF;  A  VARIETY  THEATER  AND  MINSTREL 
MANAGER;  AND,  FINALLY,  A  CONVERT  TO  THE 
MURPHY  CAUSE,  AND  TO  THE  GOS- 
PEL OF  CHRIST. 


WRITTEN  B  Y  HIMSELF. 


WITH  A  PORTRAIT,  AND  SIX  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


CHICAGO: 

DONNELLEY,  LOYD   &   Co.,  PRINTERS 
1878. 


ENTERED  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  OP  CONGRESS,  IN  THE  YEAR  1878,  BY 
I.    S.    FELGER, 

IN  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  OF  CONGRESS  AT  WASHINGTON. 


JOHN  D.   OLDS,  ESQ., 


FORT  WAYNE,   IND., 

THIS   LITTLE    BOOK   IS  AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED,  IN   TOKSN    OF   GRATI- 

TUDE  FOR   THE   GREAT   KINDNESS 

RECEIVED    FROM    HIM,    AND    FOR  THE   RESPECT   ENTERTAINED 

FOR   HIS    HIGH   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER,   AND    HIS 

UNSELFISH    BENEVOLENCE,    BY 

THE   A  UTHOR. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGB 

PREFACE,         .        .        .'.' 15 

CHAPTER   I. 

My  boyhood  and  youth — Seven  years  of  abject  slavery 
— Hard  lessons  of  the  ways  of  the  world — I  become 
a  Union  soldier, 17 

CHAPTER    II. 

My  career  as  a  soldier — The  routine  of  camp  life  — 
Bloody  battles,  forced  marches,  and  long  sieges  — 
Record  of  three  eventful  years,  ...  .23 

CHAPTER    III. 

My  first  experience  in  gambling — Prevalence  of  the  vice 
among  officers  and  soldiers — Heavy  winnings  daring 
the  war — Playing  under  difficulties — My  first  taste 
of  liquor — The  Fort  Wayne  confidence  gang,  .  .  37 

CHAPTER    IV. 

How  I  degenerated  from  a  business  man  into  a  profes- 
sional gambler — Severe  lessons  at  my  new  trade — 
My  sad  experience  as  manager  of  a  minstrel  troupe 
and  proprietor  of  a  variety  theater  at  Lafayette — 
Ups  and  downs  as  a  gambler — A  faro  game  stopped 
by  a  fearful  powder  explosion,  .  .  .  -57 


10  Table  of  Contents. 

CHAPTER   V. 

PACK 

The  horrors  of  delirium  tremens — Visions  of  the  "  White 
Mice" — Repeated  captures  by  the  police  —  Ludi- 
crous flight  of  a  bloodthirsty  sport — Large  winnings 
invested  in  a  palatial  saloon  and  gambling  den — 
Reckless  dissipation  and  prodigality — An  hour  in 
jail — Low  ebb  of  fortune, 76 

CHAPTER   VI. 

"  Following  the  trotters  " — Sights  and  scenes  on  the  turf 
— Make-shifts  of  a  broken  gambler — "Canada  Bill's  " 
confidence  operations  —  Traveling  on  "cheek"  — 
A  fourteen  weeks  debauch — Another  horrible  experi- 
ence with  delirium  tremens,  .  .  .  96 

CHAPTER   VII. 

The  various  phases  of  gambling — Good  and  bad  qualities 
of  the  genuine  sporting  man  —  Prevalence  of  the 
vice  among  business  men  —  The  misery  and  ruin  it 
causes — A  few  words  to  the  sporting  fraternity,  .  .  125 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

How  I  became  a  convert  to  the  Murphy  cause —  Signing 
the  pledge  —  Struggles  with  the  demon  alcohol  — 
Final  triumph  over  the  rum  devil,  ....  144 


CHAPTER   IX. 

My  conversion  to  th«  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ— Mental 
sufferings  while  under  conviction — Public  confession 
of  my  sins — The  blessings  attending  a  change  of 
heart 160 


Table  of  Contents.  11 

CHAPTER   X. 

PAGE 

My  admission  into  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Fort 
Wayne — Immersion  in  the  presence  of  a  vast  audi- 
ence— Press  reports  of  the  ceremony,  .  .  .  182 

CHAPTER   XI. 

My  career  since  my  conversion — What  I  am  doing  in  the 

temperance  work,      .  .         .         .         .         .     200 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Supplementary  chapter,  written  by  my  pastor,  Dr.  J.  R. 

Stone,  at  my  request,        .         .         .          .         .         .211 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Extract  from  "  The  Ribbon  Workers,"  edited  by  J.  M. 
Hiatt,  Esq.,  and  published  by  J.  W.  Goodspeed, 
Chicago, 225 


PREFACE. 


I  HAVE  no  apology  to  offer  for  writing  this  little 
book.  I  have  not  the  assurance  to  claim  for  it  any 
especial  literary  merit,  or  any  permanent  value. 
But  my  life,  though  short,  has  been  a  rather  event- 
ful one,  and  I  have  told  it  truthfully  in  the  hope 
that  my  readers  —  and  especially  the  young  —  will 
take  warning  from  my  follies  and  crimes,  and 
realize  from  my  experience  that  "  The  way  of  the 
Transgressor  is  hard."  As  I  look  back  with  sorrow 
and  remorse  upon  the  worse  than  wasted  years  of 
my  manhood,  I  pray  that  others  may  be  spared  my 
suffering.  If  in  my  youth  there  had  been  placed 
before  me  the  sad  tale  of  some  unfortunate  human 
being,  whose  life  had  been  wrecked  by  dissipation 
and  debauchery,  I  believe  my  career  would  have 
been  very  different.  I  earnestly  hope  that  this 
unpretending  little  volume  may  be  the  means  of 
saving  some  young  man  from  my  bitter  experience, 
and  causing  him  to  realize  the  beauty  and  happi- 
ness of  an  upright,  sober,  and  virtuous  life. 

I  ask  the  reader's  indulgence  as  to  the  literary 
defects  of  my  book,  of  which  no  one  can  be  more 
conscious  than  myself. 

MASON  LONG. 


MASON    LONG, 

THE 

CONVERTED     GAMBLER 


MASON    LONG. 


CHAPTER    I. 

MY  BOYHOOD  AND  YOUTH  -  SEVEN  YEARS  OF  ABJECT 
SLAVERY—  HARD  LESSONS  OF  THE  WAYS  OF  THE  WORLD 
—  I  BECOME  A  UNION  SOLDIER. 

The  story  of  my  life  is  not  a  pleasant  one. 
It  will  not  excite  the  admiration  or  enthusiasm 
of  the  reader.  It  is  not  characterized  —  would 
to  God  it  were — by  great  deeds,  noble  actions, 
high  impulses.  My  career  has  been  in  no  way 
different  from  that  of  thousands  of  others, 
excepting  that,  through  the  grace  of  God,  it 
was  altered  before  I  had  drank  the  bitter  cup 
to  the  very  dregs.  My  story  is  that  of  a  bleak 
and  cheerless  childhood,  a  youth  of  ignorance 
and  hardship,  a  manhood  of  intemperance  and 
vice. 

I  was  born  in  Luray,  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  10th  of  September,  1842.  My  father, 
Jacob  Long,  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-six,  when 
I  was  but  six  years  old.  After  his  death  I 
went  with  my  mother,  Margaret  Long,  a  noble 
Christian  woman,  to  West  Salem,  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  where  my  grandfather  lived. 


18  Mason  Long : 

I  remained  there  until  my  mother  died,  leaving 
me  all  alone  in  the  world.  Although  but  ten 
years  of  age,  the  scene  at  her  death-bed  made 
an  impression  upon  my  memory  which  time 
can  never  efface.  After  years  of  sinful  indul- 
gence, during  which  her  dying  words,  though 
often  called  to  mind,  had  failed  to  awaken  my 
seared  and  deadened  conscience,  they  came 
back  to  me  with  a  new  and  vivid  meaning,  and 
I  at  last  thanked  God  that  the  prayer  which 
my  dear  mother  uttered  with  her  parting  breath 
had  been  answered. 

Left  at  this  tender  age  an  orphan,  homeless, 
friendless,  and  penniless,  my  boyhood  was, 
indeed,  a  bleak  and  cheerless  one.  I  was  bound 
out  to  a  wealthy  German  farmer,  of  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  whose  abject  slave  I  was  for 
seven  years.  They  were  years  of  hard  labor, 
and  cruel  treatment ;  years  which  brought  to 
me  only  sadness  and  suffering ;  years  of  gloom 
and  servitude,  unrelieved  by  one  kind  word,  or 
one  tender  glance.  But  although  deprived  of 
home,  friends,  family,  of  all  those  surroundings 
which  make  childhood  the  pleasantest  portion 
of  many  lives,  I  never  ceased  to  look  forward 
to  a  better  day  ahead.  Well  has  the  poet  said  : 

Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast, 
Man  never  is,  but  always  to  be  blest. 

It  made  no  difference  how  severe  my  task, 


Converted   Crambler.  19 

how  cruel  my  treatment,  how  dreary  my  life,  I 
never  ceased  to  hope  for  a  happier  future. 

The  terms  of  my  apprenticeship  were  that  I 
was  to  labor  for  my  employer  until  I  reached 
the  age  of  eighteen,  receiving  my  board  and 
clothes,  with  two  months  of  schooling  each 
year;  I  was  also  to  have  a  horse  and  saddle. 

Mr.  K.,  my  employer  —  I  may  say  owner  — 
put  me  at  work  immediately  in  clearing  land, 
and  for  five  years  I  was  never  away  from  the 
clearings  for  a  single  day.  That  whole  section 
was  a  forest  when  I  entered  it,  and  the  labor 
of  felling  the  trees  and  clearing  the  land  was 
very  severe.  A  part  of  the  time  I  worked 
in  a  large  sugar  camp,  where  we  made  eigh- 
teen hundred  pounds  of  sugar,  and  six  hun- 
dred gallons  of  maple  syrup,  every  spring. 
I  remained  in  this  slavery  —  for  it  was  no- 
thing else  —  for  seven  years,  during  which 
time  we  cleared  one  hundred  acres  of  land, 
and  my  master  erected  a  large  residence  and 
fine  barn,  besides  paying  for  his  real  estate. 
His  treatment  of  me  was  very  inhuman.  No 
slave-holder  of  the  South  ever  treated  his  black 
chattels  as  barbarously  as  this  brute  in  human 
form  treated  me,  and  to  his  harshness  and 
inhumanity  I  ascribe  much  of  my  subsequent 
sinful  career.  I  was  deprived  of  all  the  usual 
happy  accompaniments  of  childhood.  In  seven 
years  I  only  went  to  school  three  months.  I  was 


20  Mason  Long: 

scarcely  allowed  sufficient  clothing  to  hide  ray 
nakedness,  and  was  not  permitted  to  associate 
with  other  children ;  when  my  relatives  came 
to  see  me,  I  was  denied  the  privilege  of  speak- 
ing to  them.  Once  I  stole  out  and  talked  to 
them  a  few  moments,  and  for  this  I  was  brutally 
beaten  with  a  large  black-snake  whip,  carrying 
the  marks  of  the  punishment  upon  my  back 
for  several  months.  When  I  reached  the  age 
of  seventeen,  I  determined  to  be  a  slave  no 
longer,  and  although  I  had  one  year  more  to 
serve,  my  guardian  secured  my  freedom.  I  left 
my  brutal  taskmaster  in  a  pitiable  condition. 
My  entire  wardrobe  consisted  of  a  piece  of  a 
straw  hat,  a  pair  of  blue  overalls,  and  two 
"hickory"  shirts.  I  had  no  coat  and  no  shoes; 
I  was  in  total  ignorance  of  the  world,  could 
scarcely  read,  had  never  been  inside  of  a  church 
but  three  or  four  times,  and  did  not  know  what 
a  Sabbath  school  was.  As  I  left  the  scene  of  my 
youthful  hardships,  wondering  what  the  future 
had  in  store  for  me,  I  looked  back  over  the 
preceding  seven  years  to  the  day  of  my  moth- 
er's death.  She  died  at  the  house  of  my 
unfeeling  master,  and  when  her  body  was  taken 
to  the  grave,  I,  a  boy  of  ten,  was  compelled  to 
stand  some  distance  away  and  hold  the  horses, 
being  denied  the  poor  privilege  of  seeing  the 
coffin  lowered  into  the  ground.  Well  do  I 
remember  with  what  utter  sorrow  and  despair 


Converted   Gambler.  21 

I  left  the  cemetery,  and  what  sad  anticipations 
filled  my  little  heart,  anticipations  which  proved 
only  too  well  founded. 

I  can  not  think  kindly  of  the  man  who  thus 
reared  me  in  ignorance  and  prepared  me  for  a 
life  of  wickedness  and  shame.  His  avarice  and 
cruelty  have  made  him  rich  in  this  world's 
goods.  I  would  not  injure  him  if  I  could,  but 
leave  him  with  the  Divine  Ruler,  who  shall  at 
last  judge  us  all.  After  gaining  my  freedom,  I 
worked  for  a  neighboring  farmer  for  a  short 
time,  and  obtained  some  clothes  and  a  little 
money.  At  Wellington,  Ohio,  I  purchased  a 
ticket  for  Rock  Island,  111.,  and  then  for  the 
first  time  I  saw  a  railroad.  I  obtained  work  on 
a  farm  near  Geneseo,  111.,  at  sixteen  dollars  a 
month.  The  next  winter  I  worked  for  my 
board  and  went  to  school,  and  then  for  the  first 
time  did  I  realize  my  pitiable  ignorance. 

In  a  short  time  I  had  another  severe  experi- 
ence of  the  ways  of  the  world.  I  obtained 
work  for  which  I  was  to  receive  seventeen 
dollars  a  month,  and  being  anxious  to  save 
money  I  only  drew  five  dollars  during  ten 
months,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  my 
employer  sold  out  and  decamped,  leaving  me 
unpaid.  I  followed  him  to  Chicago,  but 
he  refused  to  pay  me,  and  only  laughed  at 
my  entreaties.  I  returned  to  Geneseo  a  dis- 
heartened boy.  I  then  went  to  school  for  a 


22  Mason  Long: 

short  time,  and  again  obtained  work  on  a  farm. 
While  engaged  in  this  occupation,  I  was  unfor- 
tunate enough  to  be  arrested  on  a  charge  of 
stealing  a  set  of  harness.  Of  this  offense  I 
am  glad  to  say  that  I  was  entirely  innocent ; 
indeed,  the  man  who  caused  my  arrest  admitted, 
when  I  was  brought-  up  for  examination,  that 
he  knew  nothing  about  the  case,  and  I  was  dis- 
charged without  a  hearing.  This  was  the  first, 
but  alas !  not  the  last  time,  that  I  was  arrested, 
and  the  event  made  an  ineffaceable  impression 
upon  my  mind. 

After  this  I  went  to  work  for  myself.  I  first 
purchased  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  worked  them  for 
a  while,  then  traded  them  for  a  horse,  and 
engaged  in  buying  and  selling  cattle.  I  was 
doing  well  at  this,  but  in  the  Spring  of  1862, 
when  good  Uncle  Abraham  was  calling  for  more 
troops  to  defend  the  Union  against  the  assault 
of  its  foes,  I  felt  it  was  my  duty  to  respond,  and 
I  enrolled  my  name  in  the  112th  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers. 

The  reader  may  think  I  have  gone  too  much 
into  detail  in  relating  the  history  of  my  child- 
hood and  youth ;  but  I  desired  to  show  the 
influences  with  which  I  was  surrounded,  and 
the  atmosphere  in  which  I  grew  to  manhood, 
and  which  explain  to  a  great  extent  the  folly 
and  wickedness  of  my  after  life. 


Converted   Gambler.  23 


CHAPTER    II. 

MY  CAREER  AS  A  SOLDIER  — THE  ROUTINE  OF  CAMP  LIFE 
—  BLOODY  BATTLES,  FORCED  MARCHES,  AND  LONG 
SIEGES  — RECORD  OF  THREE  EVENTFUL  YEARS. 

In  the  Spring  of  1862,  I,  in  company  with  a 
number  of  my  companions,  enrolled  my  name 
in  the  112th  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  as  a  private,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  until  the  war  closed.  Our  regiment 
went  into  camp  at  Peoria,  and  remained  there 
about  four  weeks,  when  we  were  transferred  to 
Covington,  Ky.  We  were  in  camp  near  that 
place  for  some  time,  when  we  were  removed  to 
Lexington,  Ky.  There  we  remained  in  camp 
till  the  Spring  of  1863.  General  Granger  com- 
manded our  division.  Until  that  time  our  life 
had  been  very  monotonous,  nothing  but  drill- 
ing and  camp  duty  having  been  required  of  us. 
We  were  very  restive,  and  longed  for  active 
service,  of  which  we  soon  got  enough  to  satisfy 
the  most  sanguinary  among  us. 

Our  first  fighting  was  with  John  Morgan,  the 
notorious  guerilla,  whom  we  pursued  all  over 
central  Kentucky,  and  with  whom  we  had  a 
number  of  skirmishes.  In  the  Fall  of  1863, 
we  crossed  the  Cumberland  Mountains  into 


24  Mason  Long : 

East  Tennessee,  our  army  being  then  under 
command  of  General  A.  E.  Burnside,  a  most 
brave  and  accomplished  officer,  at  present  a 
United  States  Senator  from  the  State  of  Rhode 
Island,  of  which  he  was  recently  the  governor. 
Our  march  over  the  mountains  was  a  severe 
one,  abounding  in  hardships  and  privations 
which  were  very  rigorous,  after  the  prolonged 
indolence  of  camp  life.  A  great  many  of  our 
horses  and  mules  died  on  the  road,  and  the 
stench-  from  their  carcasses  was  almost  unen- 
durable. We  were  on  short  rations,  and 
suffered  greatly  from  lack  of  water.  Imme- 
diately after  reaching  Tennessee,  fighting 
commenced  in  good  earnest.  From  that  time 
until  we  were  mustered  out  of  service,  we  had 
scarcely  any  rest.  Our  first  general  engage- 
ment in  Tennessee  was  that  of  Philadelphia 
(then  Campbell  Station),  and  was  a  bloody  and 
closely  contested  one.  We  were  defeated  with 
considerable  loss,  and  were  driven  by  the  enemy 
to  Knoxville.  They  at  once  laid  siege  to  the 
city,  and  maintained  it  for  eighteen  days.  On 
the  18th  of  November,  our  brigade  was  sta- 
tioned two  miles  from  the  city,  for  the  purpose 
of  holding  the  enemy  in  check  until  the  citi- 
zens and  negroes  could  throw  up  entrenchments 
for  the  protection  of  the  town.  This  was  a 
terrible  day,  and  one  which  I  can  never  forget. 
The  battle  began  at  daybreak,  and  the  bloody 


Converted   Q  ambler.  25 

work  continued  until  nightfall.  We  were  sta- 
tioned on  the  brow  of  a  hill,  and  had  no 
breastworks,  our  only  protection  being  a  rail 
fence,  of  which  we  made  good  use.  We  piled 
the  rails  closely  together,  and  they  were  of 
much  service  to  us.  The  force  of  the  minnie 
balls  which  struck  the  rails  was  almost  spent 
when  they  reached  us.  But  nevertheless,  the 
mortality  among  our  soldiers  was  very  great ; 
many  of  our  brave  boys  were  killed  and 
wounded  that  day,  gladly  giving  up  their  life's 
blood  for  their  country,  and  nerving  their  com- 
panions, by  their  heroism,  to  renewed  exertions. 
Blessed  be  the  memory  of  the  thousands  whose 
bones  are  bleaching  on  Southern  battle-fields, 
and  whose  deeds  of  bravery  and  valor  call  forth 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  historian,  and  the  glowing 
eloquence  of  the  poet. 

The  firing  between  the  two  armies  was  main- 
tained during  the  entire  day.  We  frequently 
ran  out  of  ammunition,  when  it  became  neces- 
sary to  go  to  the  rear,  half  a  mile  distant,  after 
a  new  supply.  This  was  a  trying  ordeal,  and 
taxed  the  nerve  of  our  boys  to  the  utmost.  It 
required  not  a  little  bravery  to  start  back  with 
the  ammunition,  and  face  a  scorching  fire  for 
half  a  mile.  Many  were  killed  and  wounded 
in  making  the  attempt,  and  it  seemed  almost 
miraculous  that  any  passed  unharmed  through 


26  Mason  Long: 

the  shower  of  bullets  that  fell  so  thickly  around 
them. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the 
enemy  brought  the  contest  to  a  crisis  by  making 
a  grand  charge  upon  us.  The  colonel  of  the 
Sixth  Georgia  regiment  rode  up  to  the  rail 
fence,  I  have  mentioned,  and  called  upon  us  to 
surrender.  Our  colonel  gave  the  command  to 
fire,  and  the  poor  fellow  never  asked  any  one 
to  surrender  again.  About  one-half  of  our 
company  shot  at  him,  and  his  body  was  literally 
riddled  with  bullets.  The  engagement  then 
waxed  hotter,  and  when  the  cannon  balls  struck 
the  fence,  the  rails  flew  like  so  many  feathers. 

About  this  time,  the  brave  Gen.  Saunders, 
who  commanded  our  division,  was  killed.  One 
of  our  boys,  who  was  wounded,  was  hobbling  to 
to  the  rear,  when  Gen.  Saunders  took  his  gun 
from  him,  and,  as  he  was  about  firing,  a  ball 
struck  him,  and  he  never  spoke  again. 

At  this  stage  of  the  battle,  a  most  desperate 
conflict  was  in  progress.  The  rebels  had  climbed 
over  the  fence,  and  were  fighting  hand  to  hand 
with  our  troops.  The  "  Johnnies  "  were  so 
intermingled  with  our  men,  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  tell  them  apart.  Our  boys  were 
greatly  demoralized  by  Saunders'  loss,  and  we 
did  not  stand  our  ground  much  longer.  We 
hurriedly  retreated,  falling  back  two  miles, 
through  open  fields,  under  a  raking  cross-fire 


Converted   Gambler.  27 

from  the  rebel  artillery.  Our  losses  were  fright- 
ful. Many  of  our  comrades  yielded  their  lives 
upon  this  retreat,  and  many  more  were  deprived 
of  arms  and  legs,  and  made  physical  wrecks 
for  life.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we 
secured  the  bodies  of  our  officers  who  had  been 
killed,  but  as  true  soldiers  we  would  not  leave 
them  on  the  field.  The  captain  of  Co.  A,  of 
our  regiment,  had  been  shot  all  to  pieces  by  a 
shell.  We  saved  his  body,  and  that  of  Gen. 
Saunders,  and  carried  them  two  miles  under  a 
sweeping  fire,  when  we  made  a  halt.  At  the 
dead  hour  of  night,  the  American  flag  was  wrap- 
ped around  them,  and  both  were  buried  in  one 
grave.  The  interment  was  made  amidst  pro- 
found silence,  not  even  the  roll  of  a  muffled 
drum  being  allowed,  lest  it  should  apprise  the 
enemy  of  our  loss.  These  men  died  true 
heroes,  and  their  memories  will  always  be 
revered  by  those  who  shared  their  perils.  The 
fort  at  Knoxville  was  named  for  Gen.  Saunders, 
in  honor  of  his  bravery.  Our  dead  and  wounded 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  We  retired 
into  Knoxville,  and  the  Confederates  laid  siege 
to  us;  we  were  penned  up  in  the  city  for 
eighteen  days,  and  were  exposed  to  many  perils 
and  hardships ;  our  situation  was  very  critical, 
and  we  did  not  know  at  what  hour  we  might 
have  to  surrender.  Our  losses  were  quite  heavy, 
many  of  our  sentinels  being  shot  by  the  rebel 


28  Mason  Long: 

sharpshooters,  who  were  very  skillful,  killing 
men  with  neatness  and  dispatch  at  a  distance  of 
three-quarters  of  a  mile.  One  day  we  ventured 
to  make  a  charge  upon  a  beautiful  residence 
about  a  mile  from  our  entrenchments,  burning 
the  building,  and  driving  the  enemy  back. 
This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  saving  the 
lives  of  our  outer  guard.  During  the  siege, 
our  horses  suffered  greatly ;  we  had  no  grain, 
and,  in  order  to  afford  them  sustenance,  we 
felled  large  trees,  and  they  browsed  off  the 
branches.  They  literally  stripped  the  trees, 
even  eating  the  bark.  During  the  last  week 
of  the  siege,  we  took  the  poorest  horses  across 
the  river,  and  shot  them,  fifty  at  a  time  ;  in  one 
field  were  the  dead  bodies  of  more  than  fifteen 
hundred  horses  and  mules. 

Never  had  a  morning  looked  so  lovely  to  us 
as  that  of  the  day  upon  which  this  memorable 
siege  was  raised.  As  day  dawned  we  saw  the 
Union  troops  approaching  in  the  distance,  and 
knew  that  we  were  saved  at  last.  As  the  rein- 
forcements approached,  our  brave  boys  gave 
way  to  their  feelings,  and  rent  the  air  with 
loud  shouts  and  hearty  huzzas.  The  enemy 
hastily  "pulled  up  stakes,"  and  started  in  the 
direction  of  Bean  Station,  where  they  made  a 
halt ;  at  that  point  a  hard  fight  took  place,  and 
we  lost  part  of  our  wagon  train.  The  Con- 
federates continued  their  retreat  from  Bean 


Converted  Gambler. 

Station  to  Muddy  Creek,  where  there  was  bloody 
fighting  in  the  woods.  A!;  the  latter  place  our 
Col.  Brownlow,  a  son  of  "  Parson  "  Brownlow, 
was  captured.  The  rebels  did  not  know  who 
he  was.  He  purchased  his  freedom  for  twenty 
dollars,  and  was  soon  with  us  again.  We  pur- 
sued the  enemy  to  Dandridge,  and  then  to 
Kelley's  Ford,  where  there  was  sharp  fighting 
for  a  time.  Shortly  after  this,  oui  troops 
were  transferred  to  Middle  Tennessee,  and 
thence  to  Georgia.  In  the  latter  State,  we  saw 
some  hard  service,  the  severest  contest  being 
in  front  of  Atlanta,  on  the  6th  of  August,  where 
many  of  the  brave  members  of  the  112th  sur- 
rendered their  lives.  Atlanta  fell,  and  the  Union 
army  continued  its  victorious  march  southward, 
fighting  every  day.  It  was  in  one  of  the 
engagements  about  Atlanta,  that  the  noble 
Gen.  McPherson  was  killed. 

There  was  hot  work  before  us.  Sherman 
soon  started  on  his  memorable  march  to  the 
sea,  and  our  regiment  became  a  part  of  the 
army  commanded  by  that  brave  officer,  General 
Geo.  H.  Thomas.  We  left  at  once  for  Tennes- 
see, and  soon  came  in  contact  with  the  Con- 
federate army  commanded  by  General  Hood. 
Here  we  entered  upon  the  hardest  campaign 
of  marching  and  fighting  that  we  experienced 
during  our  service.  Hood's  army  pressed  us 
closely,  and  we  were  on  the  retreat  for  many 


• 


30  Mason  Long : 

days,  fighting  at  every  step.  When  we  reached 
Franklin,  Tennessee,  only  five  hours  in  advance 
of  our  pursuers,  we  made  a  stand  and  hastily 
prepared  for  battle ;  we  improved  our  time 
by  throwing  up  breastworks.  As  we  worked 
we  could  see  the  enemy  approaching  for  a 
long  distance,  and  we  knew  there  was  going 
to  be  a  severe  conflict.  And  so  it  proved. 
We  were  stationed  in  the  center  on  the  Pike 
Road.  The  rebels  dashed  upon  us  in  nine 
lines  of  battle,  and  we  received  them  with  a 
raking  cross  fire  from  our  artillery ;  we  poured 
volley  after  volley  into  their  ranks,  but  it  did 
not  even  check  their  advance.  These  brave 
soldiers  kept  steadily  advancing,  pressing  for- 
ward to  our  works,  although  at  every  step 
many  fell  wounded  and  dying  under  our  sweep- 
ing fire.  Like  the  Light  Brigade  they  literally 
pushed 

"  Into  the  jaws  of  death. 
Into  the  mouth  of  hell." 

Here  the  Confederate  General  Pat.  Claiborne 
performed  a  deed  of  bravery  and  gallantry 
which  is  unsurpassed  in  the  annals  of  the  war, 
and  paid  his  life  as  a  forfeit.  In  order  to  gain 
a  foothold  for  his  men,  General  Claiborne 
planted  spurs  in  his  gray  charger,  and  dashed 
to  the  top  of  our  earthworks.  He  gained  the 
pinnacle  before  a  shot  touched  him,  but  just 
as  he  reached  the  highest  point,  horse  and 


Converted  G-ambler.  31 

rider  went  down  together  in  the  presence  of 
both  armies.  It  seemed  as  though  a  thousand 
shots  were  fired  at  him.  The  sight  was  a 
memorable  one,  and,  enemy  though  he  was,  we 
could  not  but  honor  him  for  his  wonderful 
daring.  The  deed  was  a  fitting  one  for  the 
poet  and  painter  to  immortalize. 

Through  General  Claiborne's  heroism  the 
enemy  succeeded  in  breaking  our  lines.  An 
Ohio  regiment  gave  way,  and  three  thousand 
Confederates  poured  in  upon  us.  This  was  the 
crisis  of  the  battle,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  as  if 
the  annihilation  of  General  Thomas'  entire  army 
was  inevitable  ;  but  the  gallant  Twenty-fourth 
Kentucky  made  a  bold  charge,  closing  up  the 
gap  and  saving  the  Union  army.  The  heavy 
firing  then  ceased,  and  there  was  a  lull  in  the 
roar  of  battle.  The  two  armies  were  so  close 
to  each  other,  that  the  "Yankees"  and  the 
"  Johnnies ''  could  easily  converse  together,  only 
our  earthworks '  separating  the  foes.  The  air 
was  laden  with  the  groans  of  the  wounded  and 
the  shrieks  of  the  dying,  and  the  blue  and  the 
gray  mingled  their  prayers  together  as  they 
passed  into  the  hereafter.  Many  of  the  poor  fel- 
lows cried  piteously  for  water,  but  fate  denied 
them  even  that  little  boon,  and  with  parched 
lips  and  burning  tongues  they  lingered  until 
death  ended  their  sufferings.  We  remained  in 
this  position  for  three  hours,  for  the  purpose 


32  Mason  Long  : 

of  holding  the  enemy  in  check  while  our  wagon 
train  was  crossing  the  river ;  we  then  began 
our  retreat,  leaving  our  wounded  in  the  enemy's 
hands.  The  poor  fellows  pleaded  and  begged 
to  be  taken  with  us,  but  it  was  impossible,  as 
we  could  with  difficulty  save  ourselves.  Many 
of  the  boys  wept  as  they  started  off,  leaving 
their  wounded  comrades  on  the  field  of  battle. 
Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  battles 
of  the  war,  considering  the  number  of  men 
engaged  and  the  time  occupied.  We  quietly 
crossed  the  river  and  retreated  towards  Nash- 
ville. The  march  was  a  hard  one  —  much  of  it 
being  made  in  double-quick  time.  We  reached 
Nashville  but  a  little  in  advance  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  first  day  after  our  arrival  we  were 
stationed  at  Fort  Negley,  but  were  then  ordered 
off  to  the  right,  where  we  saw  more  bloody 
work.  During  the  second  day's  fight  we 
charged  the  enemy  and  were  repulsed  with 
heavy  loss,  leaving  our  wounded  again  on  the 
field.  The  night  was  a  very  severe  one,  and 
many  of  our  wounded  boys  perished  from  the 
cold. 

Among  those  killed  that  day  was  my  brother. 
On  this  day  we  succeeded  in  recapturing  our 
dead  and  wounded.  They  presented  a  horrible 
spectacle,  and  one  never  to  be  forgotten ;  among 
them  were  several  hundred  colored  troops.  At 
last  we  had  obtained  a  decided  advantage  over 


Converted  Gambler.  33 

Gen.  Hood's  troops,  and  forced  them  to  retreat. 
We  pressed  them  so  hard  that  they  drowned 
artillery  in  every  stream  they  passed,  until  they 
were  almost  disarmed.  We  pursued  Hood  to 
the  river  at  Clifton,  Tennessee,  and  captured  a 
large  portion  of  his  command. 

The  scenes  were  then  shifted  and  we  were 
transferred  to  another  sphere  of  action.  From 
Clifton  we  were  taken  by  the  fleet  to  Cincinnati, 
and  thence  by  rail  to  Washington.  We  were 
then  hurried  to  Alexandria,  and  after  a  brief 
delay  embarked  on  board  the  steamer  Atlantic 
for  Fort  Fisher.  The  Atlantic  was  an  old  hulk 
which  had  been  used  many  years  for  mail  service 
between  New  York  and  Liverpool, and  had  been 
pronounced  unseaworthy.  The  underwriters 
had  refused  to  insure  her,  but  the  government 
thought  she  was  good  enough  for  soldiers. 
Supposing  she  was  lost,  with  all  on  board,  it 
would  only  be  a  few  soldiers,  that  was  all; 
none  of  the  government  officials  at  Washington 
-could  risk  any  thing. 

The  trip  was  a  memorable  one.  The  Atlantic 
carried  three  thousand  five  hundred  infantry 
and  the  Ohio  Battery  of  artillery,  with  Major 
General  J.  D.  Cox,  now  member  of  Congress 
from  the  Toledo  district,  in  command.  We 
stopped  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and  took  one 
million  rounds  of  ammunition.  We  made  no 
other  stops  until  we  reached  our  destination. 


34  Mason  Long: 

. 

We  "land  lubbers"  found  this  voyage  any 
thing  but  a  pleasant  one.  In  going  around 
Cape  Hatteras  we  experienced  those  peculiar 
sensations  which  only  those  can  appreciate  who 
have  "  been  there  ; "  our  regiment  was  in  the 
"  hold,"  about  ten  feet  below  water,  and  we 
did  not  succumb  as  soon  as  those  on  the 
hurricane  deck.  The  boys  of  the  140th  Indi- 
ana were  up  there,  and  they  began  to  "feed 
the  sea  gulls "  three  hours  ahead  of  us. 
When  I  was  attacked  I  thought  my  time 
had  come,  for  the  sensations  I  experienced 
were  deathly.  When  the  Atlantic  climbed  the 
waves  of  Hatteras  every  joint  in  her  cracked, 
and  we  constantly  expected  her  to  go  to  pieces. 
We  remained  in  sight  of  Fort  Fisher  — 
sometimes  called  Federal  Point — three  days 
before  we  landed  We  went  to  shore"  in 
little  tug  boats,  and  had  at  first  but  two  miles 
of  a  foothold.  We  marched  up  the  Cape 
Fear  River,  took  Fort  Anderson,  and  then 
proceeded  to  Wilmington,  N.  C. ;  our  path  lay 
through  the  dense  pineries,  first  to  Goldsboro 
and  then  to  Raleigh ;  at  this  place  we  first  heard 
of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  The 
news  created  the  utmost  indignation  and  excite- 
ment among  our  troops,  and  they  determined 
to  burn  the  beautiful  city  for  revenge.  Our 
commander  gave  strict  orders  against  any  such 
proceedings,  and  detached  three  thousand  trusty 


Converted   G-ambler.  35 

veterans  as  a  protection  against  incendiarism. 
From  Raleigh  we  went  to  Greensboro,  and  there 
we  heard  the  glad  news  that  Lee  had  surren- 
dered ;  Johnson  had  already  succumbed,  and 
now  we  knew  that  the  civil  war  was  over, 
and  that  the  cause  for  which  we  had  fought 
and  struggled  so  long  was  victorious.  We 
unfurled  the  American  flag  from  the  tops  of 
the  highest  trees,  and  exhibited  our  joy  and 
happiness  in  many  ways.  We  remained  in 
camp  at  Greensboro  some  time,  and  were  then 
mustered  out  of  the  service.  We  proceeded 
home  via  Baltimore,  and  reaching  Chicago  on 
the  Fourth  of  July,  where  we  were  paid  off,, 
we  indulged  in  a  general  jollification,  and  many 
of  us  gave  way  to  riotous  excesses.  We  had 
ended  our  career  as  soldiers,  and  were  civilians 
once  again.  • 

Brigadier  General  T.  J.  Henderson,  of  Prince- 
ton, 111.,  was  our  commander  during-  the  entire 
war.  He  now  represents  the  Sixth  Illinois 
District  in  Congress.  He  was  a  brave  officer, 
and  enjoye.d  the  respect  and  affection  of  his 
men  in  a  remarkable  degree.  While  we  were 
serving  under  him  in  Kentucky  he  was  nomi- 
nated to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Lovejoy  in 
Congress.  He  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and 
as  we  were  unused  to  the  rigor  of  military  life, 
we  deemed  him  arbitrary  and  tyrannical,  and 
many  of  us  wrote  letters  to  his  district  urging 


36  Mason  Long: 

his  defeat  on  those  grounds.  These  letters  I 
have  no  doubt  worked  his  defeat  upon  that 
occasion,  and  are  deeply  regretted  by  many  of 
the  writers,  who  afterward  learned  to  love  the 
general  for  his  bravery  and  kindheartedness. 
When  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service 
there  was  not  a  boy  in  it  who  would  not  have 
fought  for  General  Henderson.  He  did  his 
duty  bravely  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
the  war,  and  well  merited  his  promotion  from 
private  to  brigadier  general. 

Our  old  regiment  has  held  annual  reunions 
since  the  war,  four  of  which  I  have  attended. 
It  is  very  pleasant  for  the  men  who  shared  so 
many  perils  together  to  assemble  and  recount 
the  experience  of  their  three  eventful  years  of 
army  life.  We  have  resolved  to  hold  a  reunion 
every  year  so  long  as  two  of  us  survive. 
General  Henderson  —  God  bless  him — is  with 
us  heart  and  soul. 


Converted   Crambler.  37 


CHAPTER  III. 

MY  FIRST  EXPERIENCE  IN  GAMBLING  — PREVALENCE  OF 
THE  VICE  AMONG  OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS  — HEAVY 
WINNINGS  DURING  THE  WAR  — PLAYING  UNDER  DIF- 
FICULTIES-MY  FIRST  TASTE  OF  LIQUOR -THE  FORT 
WAYNE  CONFIDENCE  GANG. 

When  I  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Army, 
in  1862,  I  had  never  tasted  liquor,  nor  touched 
a  card.  During  the  service  I  formed  many  bad 
habits,  among  them  that  of  gambling.  I  first 
began  playing  with  members  of  my  mess,  when 
we  were  stationed  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  and 
proved  an  apt  scholar.  I  was  soon  able  to  win 
money  from  men  who  had  gambled  for  years, 
and  who,  one  would  think,  would  know  all 
about  it.  I  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Johnny 
White,  an  expert  sport  belonging  to  the  100th 
Ohio  regiment,  and  he  taught  me,  for  twenty- 
five  dollars,  a  trick  of  working  cards,  by  means 
of  which  I  won  large  sums  of  money.  In 
this  way  I  realized  four  hundred  dollars  after 
the  first  pay-day  subsequent  to  learning  the 
trick.  I  had  never  had  so  much  money  before, 
at  one  time,  and  I  did  not  know  how  to  use  it. 
I  spent  it  very  freely,  soon  finding  myself 
out  of  funds.  I  then  contracted  habits  of  reck- 


38  Mason  Long : 

lessness  and  extravagance  which  adhered  to  me 
during  my  entire  life  as  a  "  man  of  the  world." 
I  rapidly  became  a  spendthrift  and  squandered 
money  freely  with  the  sutlers  and  any  one  who 
had  any  thing  to  sell.  I  indulged  largely  in 
luxuries,  regardless  of  expense. 

I  rapidly  mastered  the  mysteries  of  poker, 
casino,  .  chuck-a-luck,  and  other  games,  and 
soon  acquired  a  considerable  notoriety  as  a  gam- 
bler. Playing  became  a  perfect  mania  among 
the  soldiers,  and  many  gambled  —  including 
church  members  and  professing  Christians  — 
who  had  never  thought  of  doing  so  before. 
Gaming  afforded  relief  to  the  monotony  of 
camp-life  and  produced  excitement  which  with- 
drew the  attention  of  the  boys  from  the  perils 
they  were  undergoing.  Notwithstanding  my 
speedily  acquired  notoriety  as  a  gambler,  I  stood 
well  with  my  officers,  and  for  a  long  time  they 
overlooked  my  propensities  in  this  direction.  I 
continued  playing  the  trick  I  had  learned,  very 
successfully,  and  wandered  "off  into  different 
regimente  for  the  purpose  of  reaping  a  harvest, 
through  its  operation.  Upon  one  occasion  I 
was  absent  upon  an  expedition  of  this  kind  for. 
ten  successive  roll-calls,  and  was  reported  as  a 
deserter.  During  my  absence  I  had  been  play- 
ing some  heavy  games  of  poker.  I  finally  re- 
turned to  my  regiment  with  thirteen  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  winnings  in  my  pocket.  I  was  at 


,    Converted   Gambler.  39 

once  arraigned  as  a  deserter  before  a  regimental 
court  martial,  over  which  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Bond  presided.  He  had  always  seemed  partial 
to  me,  and  I  had  little  fear  of  the  result  when 
the  trial  opened.  I  had  a  physician's  certificate 
of  unfitness  for  duty  in  my  pocket,  but  I  felt  so 
confident  of  the  result  that  I  did  not  show  it,  fear- 
ing that  if  I  did,  I  would  compromise  the  sur- 
geon who  gave  it.  I  was  soon  adjudged  guilty. 
Colonel  Bond,  upon  whom  fell  the  duty  of  ad- 
ministering the  sentence,  said,  with  a  look  and 
tone  of  sternness,  that  my  transgressions  had 
been  repeated  and  flagrant,  and  that  he  pro- 
posed to  make  an  example  of  me.  I  trembled 
at  these  words,  fearing  that  I  was  doomed  to 
six  months'  hard  labor  upon  the  fortifications, 
with  a  ball  and  chain,  which  was  the  extreme 
penalty.  The  colonel  proceeded,  however,  to 
sentence  me  to  forfeit  a  month's  pay,  amount- 
ing to  thirteen  dollars,  and  to  three  days'  ex- 
tra work  in  digging  sinks.  I  was  overjoyed  at 
the  lightness  of  the  penalty.  The  thirteen 
dollars,  of  course,  I  did  not  miss  out  of  my 
large  roll,  and  the  three  days'  labor  I  cheerfully 
performed.  I  feared  thtit  this  proceeding  would 
render  it  impossible  for  me  to  get  an  honorable 
discharge,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  but  such 
was  not  the  case. 

So  strong  was  the  fascination  which  the  vice 
of  gambling  cast  over  the  men,  that  they  risked 


40  Mason  Long: 

their  lives  to  indulge  their  passion  for  it. 
Many  games  of  chuck-a-luck  and  poker  were 
played  on  the  skirmish  line  while  the  bul- 
lets were  flying  thick  and  fast  about  us,  and 
occasionally  taking  some  poor  fellow  to  his 
long  home. 

At  night,  the  men  congregated  _in  the  woods, 
whenever  possible,  and  played  by  the  flicker- 
ing light  of  torches.  I  remember  one  night, 
while  we  were  in  Georgia,  that  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men  were  in  a  thickly-timbered 
piece  of  woods,  near  Snake  Creek  Gap,  engaged 
in  this  pursuit,  when  a  detachment  raided  them, 
under  orders  from  the  brigade  headquarters. 
I  had  been  sitting  on  a  log,  conducting  a  game 
of  chuck-a-luck,  with  a  torch  bearer  by  my 
side,  whom  I  paid  ten  dollars  per  night  for  his 
services.  I  was  sitting  on  my  winnings,  which 
amounted  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars, 
when  we  were  surrounded ;  the  torch  holder  at 
once  blew  out  the  light,  and,  as  I  rolled  off  the 
log  to  secrete  myself,  he  seized  the  money.  I 
escaped  arrest,  but  a  large  number  of  men  were 
marched  up  to  headquarters. 

"What  is  the  charge ' against  these  men?" 
asked  the  officer. 

"  Gambling,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Is  Mace  Long  among  them  ?  "  was  the  next 
question. 

"  No,  sir,  we  did  n't  see  him." 


Converted  Gambler.  41 

"Well,  then,  let  the  others  go.  It  is  not 
right  to  punish  any  body,  when  the  chief 
offender  goes  free." 

This  illustrates  the  estimation  in  which  I  had 
come  to  be  held.  Many  of  the  officers  them- 
selves liked  to  gamble  as  well  as  the  private 
soldiers  did.  I  played  many  times  with  officers, 
and  found  numerous  expert  gamesters  among 
them.  Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Frank- 
lin, we  retreated  to  Nashville.  In  company 
with  White,  whom  I  have  before  referred  to,  I 
rode  into  Nashville  on  a  freight  train.  Being 
without  passports,  we  were  taken  by  the  guards 
to  the  Zollicoffer  House,  which  had  been  con- 
verted, temporarily,  into  a  prison,  and  which 
was  filled  with  both  Federals  and  Confederates. 
The  building  was  crowded,  and  many  of  the 
inmates  were  filthy  and  swarming  with  vermin. 
The  place  was  a  decidedly  uncomfortable  one, 
and  we  longed  to  regain  our  freedom  as  soon 
as  possible.  White  was  looking  through  a 
window  upon  the  street,  when  he  happened  to 
see  an  Ohio  colonel,  with  whom  he  was  well 
acquainted.  To  him  we  related  the  circum- 
stances, and  through  his  exertions  we  were 
released  from  our  terrible  confinement.  In  his 
company,  we  proceeded  to  a  hotel,  and,  after 
supper,  were  introduced  to  a  railroad  conductor, 
when  a  game  of  poker  was  agreed  upon.  I  had 
left  a  deck  of  marked  cards  at  the  office  of  the 


42  Mason  Long: 

hotel,  and  by  previous  arrangement,  when  cards 
were  called  for,  these  were  brought  to  the 
room.  White  and  I  played  against  the  colonel 
and  the  conductor,  and  when  we  rose  from  the 
table  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  had 
relieved  them  of  one  thousand  dollars.  The 
reader  will  probably  regard  this  as  a  poor 
return  for  the  officer's  kindness  to  us,  and  so  it 
was.  The  next  morning  I  joined  my  regiment 
at  Fort  Negley.  Despite  my  recklessness,  I 
never  shirked  duty  to  indulge  in  gambling, 
and  I  at  least  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  I  was  always  on  hand,  whenever  there 
was  any  fighting  to  be  done.  I  never  missed  a 
skirmish  or  general  engagement  in  which  my 
regiment  participated,  during  the  entire  war, 
excepting  when  I  was  in  the  hospital,  where  I 
spent  two  months. 

I  usually  won  when  I  played  with  the 
officers,  but  not  always  so.  Once  I  received  a 
written  invitation  to  visit  the  general's  head- 
quarters. I  went  there,  not  knowing  what  I  was 
wanted  for,  and  upon  arriving  found  two  aides- 
de-camp  engaged  in  a  game  of  poker,  which 
they  requested  me  to  join.  Of  course,  I 
complied ;  I  lost  six  or  seven  hundred  dollars ; 
I  dropped  one  hundred  dollars  on  my  last 
hand,  and,  finally  getting  out  of  funds,  stopped 
as  I  commenced  —  by  request.  My  invitation 
to  participate  in  the  game  was  due  to  the 


Converted   G-ambler.  43 

knowledge  that  I  had  a  little  money,  but  after 
that  experience,  I  viewed  games  where  such 
formalities  were  used  with  great  suspicion. 

Most  of  my  large  winnings  were  made  on 
chuck-a-luck.  This  may  be  briefly  described  as 
a  game,  where  the  more  you  lay  down,  the  less 
you  pick  up.  The  percentage  in  favor  of  the 
game  against  the  outsider,  is  at  least  fifty  per 
cent.,  and  the  latter  is  sure  to  lose  if  he  plays 
any  length  of  time.  The  game  is  a  simple  one. 
Upon  a  piece  of  oil-cloth  are  marked  various 
squares,  numbered  from  one  to  six,  inclusive, 
thus  : 


1 

2    !    3 

1 

4 

5 

6 

The  player  places  his  money  upon  one  of  these 
figures  and  the  dealer  throws  three  dice.  If 
the  dice  turn  up  the  number  bet  on,  the  game 
loses  the  amount  wagered.  If  the  number  is 
up  twice,  the  player  receives  double  the  sum  he 
has  risked,  etc.  It  will  readily  be  seen  that  the 
manager  of  the  game  has  an  absolute  certainty 
to  win,  unless  he  falls  into  the  hands  of  old 
sports  who  are  too  smart  for  him.  I  will  give 
an  illustration :  Once  a  new  recruit  came 
among  us  and  attempted  to  conduct  a  game. 
He  had  entered  as  a  substitute,  and  the  money 
thus  obtained,  together  with  the  proceeds  of 


44  Mason  Long : 

his  game,  amounted  to  fourteen  hundred  dol- 
lars. I  played  against  him,  and  in  thirty  min- 
utes had  won  all  he  had,  and  he  owed  me 
seventy  five  dollars.  This  is  not  contradictory 
of  my  assertion  as  to  the  relative  chances  of 
dealer  and  player,  as  the  reader  will  soon  per- 
ceive. I  won  by  working  in  a  "ringer"  upon 
him.  By  a  "  ringer  "  I  mean  a  dice  which  I 
carried,  and  which  I  had  altered  so  that  it 
had  five  five-spots  and  one  six  spot.  I  had  cut 
in  holes  with  my  knife,  blackened  them  with  a 
pencil,  and  while  making  change  had  abstract- 
ed one  of  his  dice  and  substituted  my  "  ringer  " 
for  it.  Of  course  I  had  a  sure  thing  to  win,  as 
I  bet  my  money  on  the  five-spot.  In  order  to 
get  my  "  ringer "  back  I  took  the  dealer's 
"  kit " — worth  perhaps  five  dollars,  for  the  sev- 
enty-five dollars  which  he  owed  me. 

Chuck-a-luck  was  the  popular  game  after 
pay-day.  Then  I  would  spread  my  cloths  and 
reap  a  rich  harvest.  Frequently  the  men  had 
no  facilities  for  sending  their  money  home,  and 
this  led  them  to  risk  it  in  play.  I  once  won 
seven  hundred  dollars  on  this  game  while  wait- 
ing for  dinner  to  be  cooked  at  a  farm  house, 
and  this  was  by  no  means  a  remarkable  case. 
Although  I  knew  I  was  sure  to  lose,  the  gam- 
bling spell  was  so  strong  upon  me,  that  I  some- 
times played  against  this  game,  and  once  lost 


Converted  G-ambler.  45 

fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  this  manner  in  less 
than  half  an  hour. 

When  the  first  few  days  after .  pay-day  had 
passed,  and  the  amateur  sports  found  them- 
selves broke,  our  playing  was  ^confined  to  the 
"  bankers  "  and  the  officers,  and  upon  these 
games  very  large  sums  changed  hands. 

The  reader  must  not  imagine  from  what  has 
been  related,  that  every  soldier  was  addicted 
to  the  vice  of  gambling.  Although  a  great 
many. yielded  to  its  influence,  there  were  nu- 
merous good  men  who  resisted  it.  We  had  in 
our  company  a  noble,  religious  man  named 
Lauferty,  from  Cambridge,  111.,  who  frequently 
cautioned  me  against  this  sin,  and  predicted 
the  consequences  if  I  continued  to  indulge  in 
it.  I  paid  no  heed  to  his  words,  and  thought 
him  over  scrupulous  ;  nevertheless  I  ha.d  great 
confidence  in  him.  In  North  Carolina,  in  the 
Spring  of  1865,  the  men  had  just  received  six 
months'  pay.  This  fact,  together  with  the  gen- 
eral anticipation  of  a  big  battle  and  the  impos- 
sibility of  remitting  money  to  the  North,  gave 
an  unprecedented  stimulus  to  gambling.  It  is 
a  singular  fact  that  the  men  always  played  more 
recklessly  upon  the  eve  of  a  great  battle  than 
at  any  other  time.  I  won  heavily  about  this 
time,  and  had  forty-three  hundred  dollars  in 
cash.  I  offered  Mr.  Lauferty  eighteen  hundred 
dollars  of  it  to  keep  for  me,  so  that  if  I  should 


46  Mason  Long : 

be  captured  by  the  enemy  I  would  not  lose  all 
I  had.  Imagine  my  surprise  when  he  refused 
to  touch  it,  because  it  was  made  by  gambling. 
I  thought  him  very  silly  then,  but  I  hold  a  dif- 
ferent opinion  now. 

During  the  war  my  net  winnings  amounted 
to  eleven  thousand  dollars,  part  of  which  I 
spent,  and  the  remainder  I  sent  to  my  relatives 
at  Geneseo,  111. 

After  leaving  the  army  in  1865,  I  proceeded 
to  Geneseo,  and  thence  to  Fort  Wayne  where, 
in  August,  I  opened  a  grocery  and  provision 
store,  in  which  I  invested  two  thousand1 
eight  hundred  dollars  of  my  gambling 
spoils.  I  started  out  with  fair  prospects 
and  a  determination  to  succeed.  I  introduced 
a  novelty  in  the  way  of  free  delivery  of  goods, 
and  for  a  time  did  an  excellent  business  ;  but  I 
came  in  competition  with  the  great  "  Fruit 
House,"  the  proprietor  of  which,  being  a  heavy 
capitalist,  could  sell  cheaper  than  I  could  buy. 
This  hard  rivalry  discouraged  me,  and  about  the 
same  time  I  was  in  failing  health,  being  troubled 
with  an  affection  of  the  heart.  I  applied  to  a 
physician  for  treatment  and  he  prescribed  whis- 
ky as  a  tonic.  Previous  to  this,  in  all  my  ex- 
perience, I  had  never  tasted  a  drop  of  liquor  in 
any  form.  I  went  to  a  drug  store,  purchased 
the  whisky,  and  began  taking  it  out  of  a  spoon, 
as  medicine  only.  It  had  a  stimulating  effect 


Converted   G-ambler.  47 

upon  me,  and  made  me  feel  better.  I  was 
greatly  strengthened  and  my  appetite  was  re- 
stored. In  less  than  three  months  I  was  drink- 
ing it  freely  out  of  a  jug.  I  soon  formed  an 
appetite  for  it ;  an  appetite  which  adhered  to  me 
for  many  years,  but  which  I  finally,  through  the 
grace  of  God,  was  enabled  to  shake  off. 

It  was  at  the  "  Lodge  "  saloon,  in  Fort  Wayne, 
that  I  took  my  first  glass  of  liquor  over  a  bar. 
Well  do  I  remember  a  cold  winter  day  in  1866, 
when  John  Sterling,  one  of  the  proprietors,  to 
whom  I  shall  frequently  refer,  called  me  in  and 
rallied  me  upon  my  delicate  health.  He  said  I 
ought  to  use  liquor,  and  I  swallowed  his  prescrip- 
tion without  hesitation.  From  that  time  until 
a  year  ago  I  was  addicted  to  the  constant 
use  of  spirits.  I  believe  that  whisky  benefited 
me  when  I  first  took  it,  but  that  it  ever  after- 
ward proved  a  curse  to  me,  and  that,  had  I  not 
abandoned  its  use  in  the  nick  of  time,  it  would 
would  have  hurried  me  into  a  drunkard's  grave. 

Since  leaving  the  army  I  had  never  touched  a 
card  or  gambled  in  any  form.  One  Sabbath 
I  was  standing  in  front  of  my  store  when  I  was 
accosted  by  one  of  my  best  customers — a  prom- 
inent citizen  and  a  man  of  high  standing — who 
asked  me  to  accompany  him  to  the  private  room 
of  a  business  man  on  Columbia  street,  to  wit- 
ness a  "gentleman's  game  of  poker."  I  con- 
sented and  soon  found  myself  and  my  compan- 


48  Mason  Long: 

ion  engaged  in  the  game.  I  lost  all  the  money 
I  had — sixty-seven  dollars — and  my  associate 
was  relieved  of  nearly  one  hundred  dollars. 
We  left  and  met  again  on  the  succeeding 
Tuesday  evening,  when  I  had  expected 
to  be  initiated  into  a  Masonic  lodge.  I 
dreaded  the  ordeal  which  I  supposed  awaited 
me  and  therefore  concluded  not  to  go  to  the 
lodge  room.  Instead,  I  went  back  to  the  "  busi- 
ness man's  "  poker  game  on  Columbia  street, 
with  the  friend  above  referred  to,  and  that  night 
lost  three  hundred  dollars  more.  From  this  mo- 
ment the  old  love  of  play  was  aroused  in  my 
bosom,  and  soon  acquired  a  complete  mastery 
over  me.  I  visited  the  "gentleman's  game" 
at  every  opportunity,  and  in  less  than  eighteen 
months  had  lost  thirty-five  hundred  dollars 
in  playing  against  it.  By  reason  of  my  drink- 
ing and  gambling,  together  with  the  severe 
competition  I  have  referred  to,  my  business  was 
constantly  falling  off,  and  my  finances  had  be- 
come very  low.  I  sent  to  Geneseo  for  the 
money  which  I  had  there,  stating  that  I  needed 
it  to  enlarge  my  business.  Of  course  it  went 
the  same  old  way,  into  the  pockets  of  the  gam- 
blers. I  finally  discovered  that  the  crowd  of 
supposed  "  business  men "  who  had  been  de- 
feating me  so  badly  at  poker,  were  in  fact  ex- 
pert, professional  gamblers,  one  of  them  being 


Converted   Gambler.  49 

the  veteran  sport,  Capt.  Phillips  of  Toledo, 
who  afterwards  died  at  Lima,  Ohio. 

Fort  Wayne  at  that  time  was  a  paradise  for 
gamblers  and  confidence  men.  The  times  were 
flush ;  money  was  plenty,  and  the  spirit  of 
speculation  was  rife.  Fort  Wayne,  being  an 
important  railroad  point,  was  a  natural  rendez- 
vous for  gamblers  from  all  directions.  They 
congregated  here  from  New  York,  Chicago,  De- 
troit, Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  Indianapolis,  Cleve- 
land, Canada,  etc.,  and  some  of  the  largest  games 
in  the  United  States  were  maintained.  The 
"Lodge"  saloon  to  which  I  have  referred,  was 
one  of  the  most  famous  resorts  in  the  country. 
It  was  kept  by  John  Sterling  and  William  Gru- 
nauer,  two  men  of  extended  reputation  in  the 
sporting  fraternity.  Mr.  Sterling  was  a  thor- 
ough gambler;  a  good-natured,  warm-hearted 
man,  always  ready  to  help  the  needy  or  "  skin 
a  sucker."  Mr.  Grunauer  was  a  cool-headed 
player,  and  had  always  been  very  successful. 
Their  faro  game  was  in  full  blast,  and  hundreds 
of  dollars  changed  ha^ids  there  nightly.  Fre- 
quently the  game  ran  up  into  the  thousands, 
and  during  its  existence,  I  presume  at  least  a 
million  of  dollars  was  lost  and  won  upon  it. 

Another  great  resort  was  the  keno-rooms  of 
Tim  McCarthy,  the  noted  billiardist,  and  cham- 
pion of  the  State  of  Indiana.  This  game  was 
carried  on  for  about  three  years,  during  which 


50  Mason  Long: 

time  the  proprietor  netted  at  least  twenty 
thousand  dollars  from  it.  Among  its  patrons 
were  many  of  our  most  prominent  business  men. 
Keno  is  not  a  gambler's  game ;  it  is  played 
mostly  by  amateurs,  who  do  not  stop  to  think 
that  it  is  a  certainty  for  them  to  lose.  When  it 
is  considered  that  the  banker  does  not  wager  a 
cent,  but  upon  every  game  takes  ten  per  cent, 
of  the  money  invested,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  players  have  no  chance  to  win  in  the  long 
run.  The  game  is  played  with  cards  having 
several  rows  of  numbers  across  them  ;  corre- 
sponding numbers  are  placed  upon  ivory  balls, 
which  are  deposited  in  a  globe,  from  which  they 
are  withdrawn  one  at  a  time  and  the  number 
called.  As  fast  as  the  figures  are  called,  the 
player  deposits  a  button  upon  the  -corresponding 
number  on  his  card,  if  it  is  there.  The  first 
player  who  gets  a  straight  row  of  five  buttons 
wins  the  game.  The  cards  usually  sell  for  from 
one  dollar  upwards,  and  the  winner  takes  the 
proceeds  after  the  percentage  of  the  bank  is 
withdrawn.  At  McCarthy's  room  these  cards 
frequently  sold  as  high  as  twenty  dollars  each, 
when  the  game  was  reduced  to  professional 
gamblers,  making  a  pool  of  two  hundred  or 
three  hundred  dollars  for  the  winner  of  a  single 
game. 

In  1866  and  1867  Fort  Wayne  was  noted,  not 
only  as  a  gambling  town,  but  as  the  headquar- 


Converted  G-ambler.  51 

ters  of  as  desperate  and  skillful  a  gang  of  three- 
card  monte  men,  pickpockets,  and  confidence 
men  as  could  be  found  in  the  country.  This 
gang  was  thoroughly  organized,  and  numbered 
about  thirty  of  the  most  expert  operators  in  the 
United  States.  Their  leader  was  Edward  Ryan, 
who  achieved  a  wide  notoriety  as  the  king  of 
confidence  men.  For  several  years  he  and  his 
pals  carried  things  with  a  high  hand  in  Fort 
Wayne.  They  exercised  a  potent  influence  in 
local  politics,  being  feared  by  the  politicians ; 
and  through  their  lavish  expenditures  of  their 
ill-gotten  plunder,  gained  a  tacit  support  from 
many  merchants  and  business  men,  who  profited 
from  their  patronage. 

This  organization  of  thieves  committed  their 
principal  depredations  on  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  Railway,  between  Valparaiso 
and  Lima,  and  the  Wabash  Railway,  between 
Fort  Wayne  and  Peru.  Near  the  depot,  in 
Fort  Wayne,  they  carried  on  a  saloon  which 
was  provided  with  secret  rooms,  trap  doors,  etc. 
In  that  hell  many  a  poor  fellow  has  been  drug- 
ged and  robb.ed  of  his  last  penny.  They 
resorted  to  all  kinds  of  expedients  to  raise  the 
wind,  from  the  simple  picking  of  pockets,  up 
to  the  most  cleverly  contrived  and  skillfully 
executed  confidence  games.  They  realized 
many  thousands  of  dollars,  which  they  squan- 
dered very  freely,  in  gambling  and  extrava- 

' 


52  Mason  Long: 

gance.  In  the  Fall  of  1865,  when  the  State 
Fair  was  held  in  Fort  Wayne,  they  reaped  a  rich 
harvest.  About  thirty  thousand  people  attended, 
and  many  of  them  fell  into  the  hands  of  these 
Philistines.  They  operated  with  wonderful 
boldness  and  cunning.  ^When  a  train  arrived 
in  the  city,  several  of  the  thieves  would  jump 
in  to -the  cars,  and  begin  picking  pockets.  As 
fast  as  they  finished  a  man,  they  would  chalk  a 
cross  upon  his  coat,  so  that  the  "  boys  "  would 
waste  no  time  upon  him.  The  pocket-books 
would  not  be  examined,  but  would  be  handed 
to  confederates,  who  would  hasten  away  with 
them.  These  accomplices  would  "skin  the 
leathers  "  (take  the  money  from  the  wallets), 
and  then  throw  the  empty  purses  on  the  roof  of 
a  shed  at  the  rear  of  the  robbers'  saloon.  To 
show  how  extensive  these  depredations  were, 
it  may  be  stated  that  at  the  end  of  the  Fair 
week  these  pocket-books  were  gathered  togeth- 
er and  buried  by  one  of  the  understrappers,  and 
that  they  filled  a  bushel  basket.  He  examined 
them  and  found  sixty  dollars  in  money,  which 
had  escaped  observation.  During  this  week 
the  Ryan  gang  cleared  many  thousands  of 
dollars. 

"  Competition  is  the  life  of  trade,"  as  a  usual 
thing,  but  Ed.  Ryan  did  not  appreciate  rivalry 
in  his  line  of  business.  He  claimed  a  monopoly 
of  Fort  Wayne  and  the  railroads  centering 


Converted   G-ambler.  53 

there,  and  would  not  brook  any  competition 
if  he  could  avoid  it.  Once  he  was  considerably 
alarmed  by  the  arrival  of  Dennis  Marks,  a 
notorious  confidence  man  from  Chicago,  who 
came  with  a  party  of  kindred  spirits  for  the 
purpose  of  harvesting  in  the  field  which  he 
(Ryan)  claimed  as  peculiarly  his  own.  Ryan 
determined  to  drive  the  Marks  crowd  from  the 
city,  and  found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  strategy 
in  order  to  carry  out  his  purpose.  So  he  and 
an  accomplice,  known  as  "  Hoosier  Brown," 
perfected  a  scheme  to  disgust  Marks,  and  it 
worked  most  admirably.  One  winter's  after- 
noon Ryan  invited  Marks  to  take  a  sleigh  ride, 
and  the  latter  accepted.  The  pair  drove  toward 
the  county  asylum,  when  they  met  an  old  bat- 
tered up  specimen  of  humanity,  trudging  along 
in  the  snow,  carrying  a  satchel.  "  There  comes 
a  good  '  bloak,'  "  whispered  Ryan.  "  Let's  tackle 
him,"  said  the  Chicago  sharper ;  and  stopping 
the  sleigh,  they  accosted  the  pedestrian : 
"  Hallo,  stranger,  where  d'ye  come  from  ?" 
"  Wall,  I  kum  from  oat  south  hyar,  where 
I  jes'  sold  my  farm,  and  I  kind  u'  thut  as  how 
I  d  go  out  nuth  u'  town  a  few  miles,  and  buy 
'nuther  un,  specially  as  I've  got  ther  cash 
muney  right  here  (tapping  the  satchel)  to  pay 
for  it." 

At  this,  Marks'  eyes  glistened.     He  invited 
the  farmer  to  jump  into  the  cutter  and  ride  to 


54  Mason  Long: 

town.  The  three  went  to  the  St.  Nicholas 
saloon,  where  a  drink  was  had  all  around. 
Marks  then  attempted  to  swindle  the  supposed 
greenhorn  with  the  lock  game.  Ed.  Ryan  pre- 
tended to  assist  him.  Marks  closed  the  lock,  and 
bet  the  stranger  one  thousand  three  hundred  dol- 
lars that  he  couldn't  unlock  it.  The  latter,  after 
some  discussion,  took  the  bet,  and  the  money 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Hugh  Doty,  the  bar- 
tender. The  intended  victim  readily  opened 
the  lock,  and  immediately  grabbed  the  two 
thousand  six  hundred  dollars,  and  started  for 
the  door.  He  (the  supposed  intended  dupe) 
had  been  playing  the  lock  game  himself,  and 
was  prepared  to  beat  it  when  necessary. 

"  Stop  that  bloak  ;  he's  got  my  sugar,"  cried 
Marks,  as  he  started  in  pursuit,  whereupon 
Hoosier  Brown,  for  it  was- he,  drew  a  navy 
revolver,  pointed  it  at  the  head  of  the  Chicago 
thief  and  said : 

"  That  money's  mine.  I  won  it  and  propose 
to  keep  it.  D'ye  hear." 

Marks  heard,  and  realized  that  he  himself 
was  the  victim  of  a  sharp  confidence  operation 
by  Ryan  and  Brown.  The  latter  walked  off 
with  his  one  thousand  three  hundred  dollars, 
and  Marks  and  his  crony  speedily  left  for 
Chicago,  satisfied  that  Fort  Wayne  was  no 
place  for  them. 

The  continued  depredations  of  these  confi- 


Converted  Q-ambler.  55 

dence  men,  and  their  immunity  from  punish- 
ment, at  last  awakened  public  sentiment. 
The  railroads  passing  through  Fort  Wayne  ex- 
perienced a  heavy  falling  off  in  travel,  because 
passengers  would  avoid  these  lines  if  possible. 
The  companies  employed  detectives,  but  they 
accomplished  little,  but  finally  an  incident 
occurred  which  led  to  the  complete  overthrow 
of  the  horde  who  had  so  long  been  undisturbed 
in  their  nefarious  operations.  Ryan  suc- 
ceeded in  robbing  an  old  man  named  Tucker 
from  Columbia  City,  but  Tucker  was  not  made 
of  the  stuff  of  which  most  victims  are  composed, 
and  pursued  Ryan  into  the  saloon  with  a  re- 
volver. The  thief  attempted  to  escape  when 
Tucker  fired  at  him,  the  ball  striking  his  collar 
button  and  then  glancing  off,  thus  saving  his 
life.  Ryan  was  captured  and  taken  to  the  police 
station,  where  a  large  crowd  gathered  that, 
night  for  the  purpose  of  inflicting  summary 
justice.  The  desperado  was  well  guarded, 
however,  and  the  mob,  composed  mainly  of 
shop  men,  satisfied  themselves  with  burning 
down  the  saloon  which  had  so  long  served  as 
headquarters  of  the  gang.  Ryan  succeeded  in 
getting  bail  which  he  "  jumped"  and  fled  to 
Canada.  He  was  afterwards  captured,  but 
escaped.  He  was  re-captured  and  again  es- 
caped. He  was  secured  a  third  time  and 
brought  to  Fort  Wayne  for  trial.  He  secured 


56  Mason  Long: 

a  change  of  venue,  and  was  tried  at  Wabash, 
where  he  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  two 
years  in  the  penitentiary.  He  served  his  sen- 
tence, after  which  he  was  a  wanderer  over  the 
earth  until  his  death,  which  occurred  a  few 
months  ago  in  Chicago.  The  gang  dispersed 
when  their  leader  was  apprehended,  and  their 
chosen  resort  was  given  over  to  the  flames. 
Most  of  them  are  dead,  several  having  expired 
in  prison,  and  others  having  met  violent  ends — 
fitting  climaxes  to  their  desperate  and  lawless 
careers. 

From  the  time  that  the  confidence  men 
deserted  Fort  Wayne,  this  city  began  to  lose 
its  prominence  as  a  gambling  center.  These 
thieves  had  lost  a  large  part  of  their  booty  to 
the  professional  sports,  and  when  they  departed, 
the  gamblers  found  themselves  short  of  victims. 
The  thieves  robbed  the  greenhorns,  and  in  turn 
lost  their  "  swag  "  at  the  faro  bank  or  the  poker 
table,  taking  to  the  road  as  soon  as  they  were 
"  broke  "  for  the  purpose  of  replenishing  their 
exchequer.  Those  were  indeed  "  lively  times  " 
in  Indiana. 


Converted   G-anihler.  57 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HOW  1  DEGENERATED  FROM  A  BUSINESS  MAN  INTO  A  PRO- 
FESSIONAL GAMBLER  — SEVERE  LESSONS  AT  MY  NEW 
TRADE  -  MY  SAD  EXPERIENCE  AS  MANAGER  OF  A 
MINSTREL  TROUPE  AND  PROPRIETOR  OF  A  VARIETY 
THEATER  AT  LAFAYETTE  —  UPS  AND  DOWNS  AS  A  GAM- 
BLER—A FARO  GAME  STOPPED  BY  A  FEARFUL  POW- 
DER EXPLOSION. 

The  taste  I  had  got  of  playing  seemed  to  have 
aroused  all  my  passion  for  this  vice,  which  had 
lain  dormant  for  a  few  months.  I  sought  every 
opportunity  to  repair  my  losses,  and  satisfy  the 
fondness  I  had  for  gaming.  I  was  an  habitual 
visitor  to  McCarthy's  keno  rooms,  although 
I  knew  as  well  as  I  know  now  that  I  had  a 
dead  certainty  of  losing  at  that  game;  but  I 
could  not  resist  the  fascination.  I  also  got  to 
visiting  Sterling  and  Grunauer's  faro  bank  over 
the  "  Lodge  "  and  there  I  dropped  many  dollars. 

I  finally  found  that  I  could  not  be  a  gam- 
bler and  a  business  man  at  the  same  time.  As 
my  trade  had  vanished  and  my  reputation  was 
clouded,  I  concluded  to  be  a  sport,  out  and  out, 
and  disposed  of  my  grocery  store  for  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars.  I  then  had  my 
first  experience  as  a  faro  dealer.  I  thought  I 
understood  the  game,  but  in  less  than  an  hour 
3* 


58  Mason  Long: 

after  I  opened  the  "bank"  I  had  lost  eight 
hundred  dollars.  The  "  sharks  "  as  the  out- 
side players  are  called,  had  "goosed  my  kit;" 
i.  <?.,  they  had  secured  access  to  my  tools  and 
had  tampered  with  them  in  such  a  way  that 
they  had  a  sure  thing  to  win,  while  I  had  no 
possible  chance.  There  are  many  ways  of 
"goosing  a  kit,"  and  gamblers  are  always 
striving  to  invent  some  new  method  of  getting 
a  dead  sure  thing  on  the  game.  If  I  had  been 
an  expert — if  I  had  learned  my  trade,  so  to 
speak — I  would  have  detected  the  scheme  be- 
fore putting  the  cards  into  the  box.  The  cards 
had  been  sandpapered,  and  a  genuine  sport 
would  have  noticed  it. 

I  had  learned  a  lesson,  however,  and  deter- 
mined to  profit  by  it.  I  joined  the  "  sharks," 
or  "  rounders,"  and  for  some  time  played 
against  the  banks.  I  was  learning  "  the  ropes," 
and  "  stood  in  "  with  many  schemes  of  "  snak- 
ing the  kits."  Sometimes  they  succeeded,  and 
sometimes  they  failed.  Finally  I  obtained  a 
stake,  and  opened  a  faro  game,  in  a  room  over 
the  Occidental  Billiard  Hall,  in  Fort  Wayne. 
The  sharks  determined  to  "give  it  to  me,"  and 
having  made  keys  to  fit  the  locks,  bribed  my 
room  boy  to  give  them  access  to  my  tools.  He 
allowed  them  to  do  so,  and  they  proceeded  to 
"doctor "  my  cards,  by  punching  small  holes 
in  them.  After  this  was  done,  the  boy  told  me 


Converted   G-amkler.  59 

what  had  been  going  on.  I  examined  the  cards, 
found  the  holes,  and  filled  them  up  with  white 
putty.  That  evening  I  opened  the  game  just 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  A  large  number 
were  present,  and  they  evidently  expect- 
ed a  "  rich  haul."  I  gave  th  m  all  a  chance  to 
bet,  and  finally  began  dealing.  Soon  they  all 
centered  to  one  spot,  the  turn  was  made,  and 
it  "  threw  them."  They  looked  at  me  and 
then  at  each  other  in  blank  amazement.  None 
of  them  dared  to  speak,  lest  he  expose  the 
crowd.  I  acted  as  if  nothing  had  happened, 
and  did  not  seem  to  notice  the  quandary  of 
the  players.  The  scene  was  a  comical  one.  I 
resumed  dealing,  and  the  next  time  there  was 
a  white  show  on  top,  they  "  bounced  it,"  and 
lost  again!  Many  a  heavy  sigh  was  drawn,  and 
some  of  the  lighter  weights  drew  out,  being 
short  of  funds.  Their  mouths  were  closed,  but 
their  looks  and  actions  spoke  louder  than 
words.  The  game  continued,  and  upon  the  next 
turn  the  "  rounders  "  won.  This  was  not  surpris- 
ing as  I  had  no  advantage,  as  the  case  stood.  The 
last  winning  renewed  the  confidence  of  my 
antagonists.  They  evidently  imagined  that 
there  had  been  some  miscalculation  on  their 
part,  but  now  they  were  certain,  and  they  piled 
up  their  money.  I  let  them  crowd  the  limits, 
and  upon  the  next  turn  they  lost  again.  This 
finished  them;  the  crowd  was  broke.  They 


60  Mason  Long: 

"squealed"  and  "kicked"  terribly,  and  asked 
to  see  the  cards,  thus  exposing  their  own 
plot.  They  examined  the  cards,  and  saw  just 
how  they  had  been  "  taken  in,  and  done  for." 
They  "  played  for  even,"  but  could  not  make 
it.  The  best  joke  of  the  whole  transaction, 
was  that  my  partner  "  stood  in  "  with  the  out- 
side, trying  to  break  me,  and  that  he  got  a 
large  and  bitter  dose  of  the  medicine  himself. 

I  continued  dealing  without  any  incident 
worthy  of  note  until  the  Spring  of  1868,  when 
I  found  myself  ashore,  financially,  and  obtained 
a  position  to  travel  for  J.  C.  Kennedy,  of  Chi- 
cago, .and  sell  soda  fountains.  I  was  thus 
employed  during  most  of  the  summer,  spend- 
ing my  leisure  time  and  spare  change  at  the 
gambling  table.  In  the  Fall  of  that  year, 
while  at  Kendallville,  Ind.,  I  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  man  named  McCoole,  who  was 
traveling  with  a  small  tent  show.  This  was 
during  the  political  campaign,  and  McCoole 
was  giving  performances  at  the  dates  and  places 
of  the  joint  discussions  between  Governors 
Hendricks  and  Baker.  He  had  been  doing  a 
good  business,  and  at  his  solicitation  I  took  a 
half  interest  in  the  show.  The  great  Mason- 
McCoole  prize  fight  had  just  taken  place,  and 
we  named  our  troupe  the  Mason-McCoole 
Minstrels.  We  gave  two  performances  each 
day  —  one  in  the  afternoon  in  the  tent,  and  one 


Converted  G-ambler.  61 

in  the  evening  at  a  hall.  We  showed  at  Ken- 
dallville,  Waterloo,  and  other  points.  From 
the  latter  place  I  went  to  Toledo  with  four 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  my  pocket,  to 
engage  "talent"  for  our  "mammoth  combina- 
tion "  (as  we  called  it  on  the  bills)  ;  but  instead 
of  doing  so,  I  fell  against  a  faro  bank  at  Toledo 
and  lost  every  cent  of  it.  I  returned  and 
joined  the  company.  We  played  at  Mishawa- 
kee  to  a  fair  business,  and  then  proceeded  to 
South  Bend,  where  we  rented  a  hall  and 
announced  .a  grand  musical  entertainment. 
The  evening  came,  and  so  did  the  crowd.  We 
had  a  large  attendance,  our  receipts  being 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  McCoole 
was  in  the  box  office  selling  tickets,  and  I  stood 
at  the  door.  About  eight  o'clock,  just  before 
time  for  the  curtain  to  raise,  my  partner  told 
me  he  was  going  down  stairs  for  a  moment,  and 
said  that  I  should  take  in  money  at  the  door 
until  his  return.  I  stood  there  and  received 
about  two  dollars  and  a  half  in  "  shinnies " 
(fractional  currency).  It  was  past  the  time 
for  the  curtain  to  raise,  and  the  audience  were 
becoming  impatient.  About  this  time  the 
owner  of  the  hall  arrived  and  demanded  his 
rent.  I  told  him  McCoole  had  gone  out  with 
all  of  the  funds,  and  asked  him  to  wait  until 
his  return.  He  respectfully  declined,  and  said 
the  curtain  should  not  go  up  until  the  money 


62  Mason  Long: 

was  paid.  I  argued  with  him,  and  offered  him 
as  security  the  canvas  which  we  had  purchased 
from  Gilbert  &  Grady  for  one  hundred  dollars. 
He  was  obdurate,  evidently  believing  that 
McCoole  and  myself  were  in  complicity  for  the 
purpose  of  defrauding  him.  My  position  was 
indeed  an  embarrassing  one.  I  had  only  two 
dollars  and  a  half  in  money,  was  an  entire 
stranger,  and  had  to  face  an  angry  audience. 
I  finally  mounted  the  stage,  and  told  the  crowd 
the  circumstances.  I  said  that  we  were  ready 
to  proceed  if  the  owner  of  the  hall  would  let 
us,  and  concluded  by  throwing  my  scrip  and 
tickets  among  the  audience.  They  were  very 
indignant,  and  I  feared  that  they  would  use 
violence  with  me.  They  left  the  hall  pell-mell, 
with  many  expressions  of  anger  and  disgust. 
The  members  of  the  company — none  of  whom 
had  been  paid  for  a  long  time  —  were  uneasy  at 
the  turn  affairs  had  taken,  and  thought  that 
their  private  property  would  be  attached.  One 
of  them  owned  a  banjo  which  he  valued  at  one 
hundred  dollars,  and  he  was  determined  to  save 
it  at  all  hazards.  Sending  a  confederate  to  the 
front  of  the  building,  he  let  down  the  banjo 
from  the  window  with  a  string,  crying  to  a  man 
below,  "  Is  that  you,  Jake  ?  "  "Yes,"  was  the 
answer,  and  the  instrument  was  let  down  into 
the  hands  of  the  —  sheriff.  That  was  the  last 
seen  of  that  banjo.  This  incident  confirmed 


Converted  G-ambler.  63 

the  belief  that  we  were  attempting  a  deliberate 
swindle,  although  the  only  guilty  party  was 
McCoole.  He  had  boarded  a  train  and  left  the 
city,  and  from  that  day  to  this  I  have  never 
seen  or  heard  of  him. 

I  was  left  in  South  Bend  with  ten  unpaid 
performers  on  my  hands,  without  money  or 
friends,  and  with  a  number  of  bills  to  settle. 
I  went  to  the  hotel,  and  turned  over  the 
canvas  to  the  landlord  as  security  for  our 
bill.  I  presume  he  has  the  canvas  yet.  We 
slept  at  the  hotel,  but  were  refused  breakfast 
the  next  morning,  and  left  the  hotel  hungry 
and  broke.  A  thorough  search  was  made  of 
every  member  of  the  troupe,  and  finally  we 
succeeded  in  discovering  a  dollar  bill  concealed 
in  the  watch  pocket  of  one  of  the  players. 
That  was  promptly  confiscated  and  devoted  to 
the  purchase  of  a  lunch.  The  company  dis- 
banded, each  person  depending  upon  his  wits 
to  get  out  of  town. 

I  then  formed  a  partnership  with  a  fortune 
teller  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made,  and  we 
proceeded  to  Kendallville,  and  then  to  Fort 
Wayne,  my  fare  and  expenses  being  paid  by  my 
new  companion.  At  the  latter  place  the  fortune 
teller  located  at  the  Hedekin  House,  remaining 
three  weeks,  telling  no  less  than  two  hundred 
and  fifty  fortunes,  at  one  dollar  each,  within 
that  time.  This  large  business  was  the  result 


64  Mason  Long: 

of  liberal  advertising,  and  the  success  with 
which  the  past  and  present  of  the  "  seekers 
after  knowledge"  were  told.  This  seemed 
remarkable,  and  was  the  subject  of  much 
amazement  among  the  simple-minded  persons 
who  paid  their  dollars  for  a  knowledge  of  the 
future.  There  was  nothing  supernatural,  how- 
ever, about  the  success  with  which  " fortunes" 
were  told.  I  was  getting  half  of  the  profits, 
and,  in  order  to  earn  my  way,  made  myself  an 
active  assistant.  I  knew  almost  all  who  went 
to  have  their  fortunes  told,  and  during  the 
operation  I  was  concealed  behind  a  door,  shar- 
ing my  knowledge  with  the  professor  of  occult 
mysteries.  The  victim  was  always  placed  with 
his  back  toward  me.  Thus,  if  the  party  was 
married,  I  nodded  my  head ;  if  single,  I  shook 
my  head  ;  I  signified  the  number  of  children  he 
or  she  had  by  my  fingers,  and  in  various  ways 
I  gave  information  which,  when  imparted  by 
the  fortune  teller,  produced  the  greatest  sur- 
prise and  wonderment.  Such  of  my  young 
readers  as  may  feel  tempted  to  consult  these 
so-called  "  oracles"  will  see,  from  my  narrative, 
that  there  is  no  reliance  to  be  placed  in  them, 
and  that,  when  they  do  tell  the  truth,  it  is 
either  the  result  of  a  lucky  guess,  or  of  knowl- 
edge obtained  in  some  manner  not  suspected 
by  the  victim. 

When    our   business   became    dull   at    Fort 


Converted   Grambler.  65 

Wayne,  we  went  to  Huntington,  and  there,  for 
obvious  reasons,  our  success  was  not  so  great. 
We  dissolved  partnership,  the  fortune  teller 
leaving  for  parts  unknown.  Sterling  and 
Grunauer  were  running  a  faro  bank  at  Hunt- 
ington, and  they  employed  me  to  deal  at  eight 
dollars  per  day.  They  were  in  bad  luck,  and, 
having  lost  eighteen  hundred  dollars,  closed 
the  faro  bank  and  left  for  Fort  Wa}rne.  In 
the  mean  time  I  had  gambled  away  all  nay 
profits  from  the  fortune  telling,  and  returned 
home. 

I  then  obtained  the  money  due  me  for  sell- 
ing soda  fountains,  amounting  to  seven  hun- 
dred dollars.  Of  course  the  first  thing  I 
did  was  to  seek  a  gambling  room,  and  on 
Sunday  night  I  found  myself  at  the  "  Lodge." 
When  I  arose  from  the  faro  table  that 
night,  I  did  not  have  money  enough  to  buy 
a  cigar  with,  and  was  at  a  loss  to  imagine  what 
to  do  next. 

The  next  morning  I  was  sitting  in  the 
"  Lodge  "  trying  to  invent  some  means  of  "  rais- 
ing the  wind,"  when  I  happened  to  think  of  a 
man  in  Lafayette,  to  whom  I  had  loaned  one 
hundred  and  ninety  dollars,  and  who  was  about 
leaving  for  the  Far  West.  I  determined  to  go 
to  Lafayette  to  see  him,  but  how  to  get  there 
was  the  question.  I  asked  Grunauer — one  of 
the  men  who  had  won  mv  seven  hundred  dol- 


66  Mason  Long : 

lars  the  preceding  evening — for  a  small  loan, 
but  he  refused  unless  I  would  put  up  a  gold  ele- 
phant as  security.  From  his  partner,  Sterling, 
I  met  with  better  treatment.  He  advised  me 
not  to  get  discouraged,  and  when  I  stated  my 
case  handed  me  twenty  dollars  with  which  I 
went  to  Lafayette,  arriving  there  with  sixteen 
dollars.  The  man  who  owed  me  one  hundred 
and  ninety  dollars  had  departed.  I  was  about 
leaving  for  home,  when  I  met  one  of  the  former 
members  of  the  defunct  "  Mason-McCoole  Min- 
strels." He  was  performing  at  a  variety  theater 
in  Lafayette,  the  proprietor  of  which  was  los- 
ing money. and  was  anxious  to  sell  out.  At  his 
suggestion  I  purchased  the  establishment,  giv- 
ing my  notes  for  three  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  at  three  and  six  months'  time.  I 
went  to  Indianapolis,  engaged  the  Reynard 
sisters  who  were  billed  as  "  celebrated  ar- 
tistes" and  I  soon  had  my  variety  hell  in  full 
blast.  It  was  located  at  No.  54  Fourth  street, 
and  will  doubtless  be  remembered  by  many  of 
the  citizens  of  Lafayette  as  one  of  the  hardest 
places  ever  kept  in  that  city.  I  fitted  up  a  bar, 
a  green-room,  and  all  the  other  adjuncts  of  a 
place  of  this  character,  and  did  a  thriving  busi- 
ness. The  place  was  crowded  every  night.  I 
changed  the  company  every  two  or  three  weeks 
and  employed  a  large  number  of  "  gifted  stars  " 
to  cater  to  the  tastes  of  my  patrons.  The 


Converted  Gambler.  67 

green-room  was  conducted  on  the  most  approved 
principles.  I  bought  wine  at  thirty-seven  and 
a-half  cents  a  bottle  and  sold  it  for  two  dollars 
and  fifty  cents.  The  "lady  performers"  re- 
ceived fifteen  dollars  a  week  each,  and  board, 
together  with  fifty  cents  commission  for  each 
bottle  of  wine  sold.  Strange  to  say,  among 
the  persons  who  paid  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
per  bottle  for  this  wine,  were  the  men  from 
whom  I  had  bought  it  for  thirty-seven  and  a 
half  cents. 

I  charged  an  admission  fee  of  twenty-five 
cents,  each  check  calling  for  a  glass  of  beer. 
This  was  done  in  order  to  avoid  payment  of 
license. 

My  variety  hall  gradually  became  the  ren- 
dezvous of  disorderly  characters  and  a  nuisance 
in  the  eyes  of  decent  citizens. 

After  I  had  conducted  it  about  eight  months, 
a  determined  attempt  was  made  to  break  it  up. 
Nearly  one  hundred  indictments  were  returned 
against  me,  but  owing  to  legal  irregularities 
and  a  failure  of  proof,  I  had  them  quashed  at 
an  expense  of  only  five  dollars,  which  I  paid 
an  attorney.  I  concluded  that  it  was  about 
time  for  me  to  remove,  so  I  decided  to  shut  up. 
Owing  to  a  misunderstanding  with  the  gas 
company,  the  theater  was  lighted  with  thirty 
tallow  candles  at  the  last  performance,  and 
resembled  an  Irish  wake  in  appearance.  The 


68  Mason  Long : 

next  day  I  closed  the  place,  leaving  stage, 
scenery,  chairs,  bar,  etc.,  turned  the  key  over 
to  the  owner  of  the  building,  and  withdrew 
from  the  amusement  business. 

I  can  truthfully  say  that  among  the  many  re- 
grettable episodes  in  my  past  life,  there  is  none 
I  look  back  upon  with  more  sorrow  and  remorse 
than  the  one  I  have  just  related.  I  believe — 
and  with  my  experience  I  certainly  know 
whereof  I  speak — that  of  all  the  devil's  inven- 
tions for  propagating  vice  and  dissipation,  and 
leading  young  men  into  paths  of  immorality 
and  indulgence,  there  are  none  more  success- 
ful than  "  variety  theaters "  and  "  concert 
halls."  They  are  perfect  plague  spots,  full  of 
evil  and  nothing  but  evil.  The  young  man 
who  frequents  them  is  treading  the  path  to  cer- 
tain ruin,  and  I  warn  all  who  do  not  desire  to 
become  moral  wrecks,  to  avoid  these  places  as 
they  would  a  pestilence.  Wherever  they  are 
established  they  do  an  amount  of  mischief 
which  no  one  can  estimate.  I  regret  to  say 
that  they  are  frequently'  patronized  and  en- 
couraged by  business  men  who  have  sons  and 
daughters  growing  up,  and  who  are  to  a  large 
extent  responsible  for  their  existence.  I  think 
the  press  and  the  pulpit,  and  an  enlightened 
public  sentiment,  should  unite  to  render  the 
maintenance  of  such  places  of  resort  impossible. 

When  I  closed  my  variety  theater,  I  had  six- 


Converted   CramUer.  69 

teen  hundred  dollars  in  my  pocket,  the  profits 
of  that  enterprise.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
this  money  lasted  me  but  a  short  time.  I  went 
to  Chicago,  and  a  very  few  contests  with  faro 
reduced  me  to  pauperism.  I  then  returned  to 
Fort  Wayne,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  a  year, 
and  rented  a  small  room  over  the  "Occidental," 
paying  sixty  dollars  a  month  rent,  and  having 
borrowed  a  little  money,  opened  a  faro  game  on 
a  light  scale.  I  opened  a  "  fifteen  dollar  snap," 
(the  bets  being  limited  to  that  amount)  and  at 
the  first  sitting  won  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
dollars.  I  had  a  streak  of  "  good  luck,"  and 
for  six  weeks  never  suffered  a  single  loss 
amounting  to  a  hundred  dollars.  I  had  then 
gathered  forty-eight  hundred  dollars.  I  hired 
a  dealer  with  whom  I  left  a  "  bank  roll  "  and 
two  five  hundred  dollar  bank  checks,  to  be  used 
in  an  emergency.  I  then  started  for  Indianap- 
olis, but  had  hardly  reached  there  when  I  re- 
ceived a  telegram  to  come  home.  Upon  my 
return  I  discovered  that  my  game  had  lost 
twelve  hundred  dollars.  The  dealer  whom  I 
had  employed  and  trusted  had  played  false  with 
me,  and  by  complicity  with  outsiders,  had 
robbed  me  of  the  amount  named.  He  was  at 
once  set  down  by  the  Fort  Wayne  gambling 
fraternity  as  a  thief,  and  having  lost  the  money 
he  stole  from  me,  as  a  "rounder"  on  outside 
games,  he  found  the  atmosphere  very  unconge- 


70  Mason  Long : 

nial,  and  left  for  parts  unknown.  I  contin- 
ued my  game  over  the  "  Occidental  "  until  my 
money  had  vanished,  and  I  was  compelled  to 
close  the  bank  and  vacate  my  rooms. 

After  this  I  remained  on  the  "  ragged  edge," 
financially,  for  several  months.  I  played  on 
the  "  outside,"  occasionally  borrowing  a  small 
"  stake,"  and  making  small  winnings,  which 
were  lost  upon  the  next  game.  Finally  I  bor- 
rowed five  hundred  dollars  of  a  friend  and 
opened  a  faro  bank  on  Main  Street.  I  had 
bad  luck,  and  was  cleaned  out  immediately.  I 
obtained  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  more  of 
the  same  man,  which  went  after  the  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  again  he  advanced  me  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  which  also  vanished. 
A  fourth  time  I  applied  to  him,  but  he  could 
only  let  me  have  ten  dollars ;  with  this  we 
went  on  a  spree.  I  remained  drunk  constantly 
for  weeks,  both  night  and  day,  living  on  plain 
whisky,  and  taking  but  little  food  or  sleep. 
Completely  worn  out,  I  finally  sobered  up.  I 
was,  of  course,  out  of  funds,  and  my  debts 
amounted  to  about  two  thousand  three  hundred 
dollars!  In  order  to  get  a  start,  I  pawned  an 
old  watch  for  fifty-five  dollars,  and  opened  a 
game.  By  some  means  a  rumor  that  I  had 
won  one  thousand  dollars,  obtained  circulation 
among  the  sports,  and  I  took  no  pains  to  stop 
it,  as  I  knew  it  would  bring  players  against  my 


Converted  Gambler.  71 

bank.  Luck  had  at  last  turned.  The  first 
night  I  dealt  I  won  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  dollars.  I  kept  on  winning,  and  in  less 
than  three  weeks  I  had  paid  all  my  .debts  and 
had  a  "bankroll"  (business  capital)  of  eight 
hundred  dollars.  As  usual  when  successful  I 
took  to  drinking,  and  my  pile  began  to  dwin- 
dle. Then  I  allowed  outsiders  to  deal  "  snaps  " 
(limited  bets)  at  my  game,  and  I  played  against 
them,  usually  winning,  as  few  of  them  knew 
how  to  protect  themselves. 

At  this  time  I  was  dividing  my  attention 
about  equally  between  drinking  and  gambling. 
While  on  a  spree,  I  went  to  Upper  Sandusky, 
Ohio,  leaving  my  rooms  and  a  bank  roll  of  four 
hundred  dollars  with  my  dealer.  At  Upper 
Sandusky  I  met  some  boon  companions,  and 
indulged  in  a  frightful  debauch.  One  day,  as 
I  was  sleeping  off  the  effects  of  this  indul- 
gence, under  a  large  sycamore  tree  at  the  river 
side,  I  was  handed  a  telegram,  summoning  me 
home.  I  returned  to  Fort  Wayne  and  found 
my  game  broken  up  and  my  money  gone. 

I  remained  quiet  for  a  few  weeks,  and  then 
re-opened  my  old  rooms  over  the  "  Occidental." 
Fortune  again  smiled  upon  me;  and  in  about 
seven  weeks  my  net  winnings  amounted  to  over 
four  thousand  dollars.  During  this  time  I  had 
remained  sober,  watched  my  game,  and  had  not 
made  a  single  losing  of  any  consequence.  This 


72  Mason  Long  : 

was  entirely  too  much  prosperity  for  me  to 
stand.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  must 
have  a  horse,  and  I  bought  a  trotter  for  one 
hundred  and  ninety  dollars,  purchased  a  nobby 
wagon  at  Detroit,  and  made  my  appearance 
with  a  flashy  turnout.  I  entered  my  horse  at 
the  Huntington  Fair,  and  carried  off  the  prize 
in  the  "  general  purposes  "  class.  For  a  few 
weeks  I  devoted  myself  entirely  to  my  horse 
and  to  drinking.  Almost  every  day  I  became 
intoxicated  and  drove  out,  scarcely  ever  return- 
ing, unless  my  recklessness  had  caused  so%me 
accident.  Frequently  I  landed  the  whole  turn- 
out in  the  ditch,  and  rarely  went  to  the  stable 
with  a  whole  wagon. 

Laboring  under  the  delusion  that  I  had  a  fast 
trotter,  I  matched  him  against  a  better  horse 
for  two  hundred  dollars  a  side,  and  we  had 
a  trot  on  the  snow,  near  the  city.  I  of  course 
came  out  second  best,  and  finding  I  was  beat 
did  not  stop,  but  drove  straight  to  town,  leav- 
ing a  crowd  of  disgusted  sports,  who  had  bet 
on  me,  far  in  the  rear.  This  was  known  as 
the  "  Birdie  "  and  "  Flossy  "  race. 

The  large  sum  of  money,  which  I  had  recently 
won,  had  about  disappeared,  and  in  order  to 
get  another  start,  I  sold  my  rig  at  a  great 
sacrifice,  and  invested  the  proceeds  in  faro. 
Of  course  I  lost,  and  I  found  myself,  as  I  had 
so  often  been  before  —  penniless. 


Converted  G-amUer.  73 

In  the  Spring  of  1871,  I  obtained  a  small 
stake  and  opened  a  faro  bank  in  the  third  story 
of  the  building  at  the  corner  of  Calhoun  and 
Wayne  Streets,  Fort  Wayne.  There  was  no 
other  game  in  the  city  at  the  time,  and  this  one 
was  well  patronized.  A  great  many  transient 
sports  visited  Fort  Wayne  those  days  and  they, 
together  with  merchants,  bankers,  "saloon-keep- 
ers, clerks,  bartenders,  railroad  conductors,  etc., 
composed  the  players.  Occasionally  a  church 
member  dropped  in  and  took  a  hand.  Among  all 
of  the  players,  passenger  conductors  and  bar- 
tenders were  the  hardest  for  us  to  keep  broke. 
Many  saloon-keepers  visited  us  once  or  twice  a 
week,  and  left  with  us,  for  safe  keeping,  all 
their  available  cash.  The  game  kept  up  remark- 
ably well,  hundreds  of  dollars  changing  hands 
every  night. 

While  I  was  conducting  this  bank,  an  incident 
took  place  which  is,  I  think,  worth  relating. 
One  night  in  June,  1871,  I  was  dealing  and 
there  was  an  exciting  game  in  progress  for  "  big 
money."  Suddenly  we  discovered  a  bright 
light  in  our  windows,  and  soon  became  aware 
that  fire  was  raging  in  the  adjoining  buflding. 
The  steam  engines  were  throwing  water  on  the 
fire,  and  we  could  hear  the  noise  of  the  large 
crowd  which  had  assembled  in  the  street  below, 
and  the  shrill  voices  of  the  firemen  and  police- 
men as  they  moved  about  in  the  discharge  of 
4 


74  Mason  Long : 

their  duties.  The  game  was  kept  up  as  if 
nothing  had  happened  ;  not  a  player  rose  from 
his  seat,  not  a  man  passed  in  his  checks,  so 
engrossing  was  the  sport.  It  was  suggested  that 
we  would  not  move  until  the  walls  grew  hot, 
and  we  kept  on  dealing  and  playing,  with  the 
adjacent  building  in  flames.  It  was  not  until 
an  explosion  took  place,  which  shook  the  edifice 
from  foundation  to  roof,  that  some  of  the  players 
became  terrified,  drew  out  of  the  game  and  left. 
I  continued  dealing,  however,  and  scarcely  a 
word  was  spoken  as  the  game  progressed, 
although  the  roar  from  the  street  below  was 
becoming  louder  and  louder.  In  a  few  moments 
a  second  violent  explosion  occurred  which 
moved  the  building  several  inches,  shattered 
every  window  in  our  room  to  fragments,  lifted 
the  door  from  its  hinges  and  overturned  the 
check  rack.  This  made  the  stoutest  heart  fail, 
and  the  most  hardened  countenances  blanch. 
We  feared  that  the  stairway  had  been  torn 
away,  and  all  egress  cut  off,  and  the  reckless 
men,  who  had  been  tempting  fate,  forgetting 
everything,  rushed  for  the  exit.  No  one  waited 
to  get  his  checks  cashed,  and  I  never  closed 
a  game  more  suddenly.  The  stairways  were 
all  right  and  we  soon  reached  the  street.  We 
found  that  the  fire  had  originated  in  the  cellar 
beneath  Boltz's  grocery  in  the  adjacent  build- 
.  ing.  The  first  shock  was  caused  by  the  ex- 


Converted   G-ambler. 

plosion  of  some  oil  in  the  cellar,  which  had  been 
afterward  flooded  with  water.  The  boiling  oil 
ran  along  the  surface  of  the  water  and  gener- 
ated gas.  When  Fred.  Hilsmau,  a  torch  boy, 
entered  the  cellar,  this  gas  exploded  with  a 
loud  report,  killing  him  instantly'and  wounding 
about  twenty-five  persons.  Mr.  Ferd.  Boltz, 
proprietor  of  the  grocery;  Thomas  Mannix,  the 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Fire  Department ;  John 
Downey  and  Edward  Downey  were  among 
those  most  frightfully  burned.  Their  sufferings 
were  most  intense,  and  they  presented  as  hor- 
rible a  spectacle  as  I  ever  witnessed  during  the 
war.  We  gamblers  devoted  the  remainder  of 
the  night  to  caring  for  the  wounded,  who  were 
removed  to  hospitals  and  private  residences. 
This  striking  episode  was  a  great  shock  to  all 
of  us,  and  we  did  not  recover  from  its  effects 
for  some  time. 


76  Mason  Long : 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  HORKORS  OF  DELIRIUM  TREMENS- VISIONS  OF  THE 
"WHITE  MICE"— REPEATED  CAPTURES  BY  THE  POLICE 
—  LUDICROUS  FLIGHT  OF  A  BLOODTHIRSTY  SPORT  — 
LARGE  WINNINGS  INVESTED  IN  A  PALATIAL  SALOON 
AND  GAMBLING  DEN— RECKLESS  DISSIPATION  AND  PROD- 
IGALITY—AN HOUR  IN  JAIL— LOW  EBB  OF  FORTUNE. 

I  was  completely  unnerved  by  the  terrible 
event  which  I  described  in  the  concluding 
pages  of  the  last  chapter.  I  did  not  make  a 
single  winning  for  at  least  a  month.  I  was 
extremely  nervous  whenever  I  sat  down  at  a 
card  table.  Becoming  discouraged,  I  betook  my- 
self to  my  usual  resort,  the  bottle,  and  indulged 
in  a  prolonged  spree.  For  many  days  I  sub- 
sisted almost  entirely  upon  raw  whisky,  sleep- 
ing but  little,  and  eating  scarcely  anything. 
At  last  I  found  myself  suffering  from  my  first 
attack  of  delirium  tremens.  My  visions  assumed 
the  forms  of  white  mice.  They  were  ever 
before  my  eyes,  waking  or  sleeping.  They 
were  constantly  present  in  my  diseased  imag- 
ination, crawling  over  my  bed  at  night,  swarm- 
ing about  my  person  by  day,  advancing  toward 
me  in  vast  multitudes,  crawling  about  my  feet 
with  every  step.  In  vain  did  I  attempt  to 


Converted  Gambler.  77 

shake  off  this  dreadful  vagary;  with  every 
effort  the  white  mice  increased  in  numbers, 
until  it  seemed  to  me  that  thousands  of  them 
were  about  me,  and  that  I  would  never  be  able 
to  free  myself  from  them.  They  seemed  within 
my  reach,  but  when  I  clutched  at  them  they 
evaded  my  hands,  and  seemed  to  laugh  demon- 
iacally at  my  fruitless  attempts  to  capture  them. 
My  physical  condition  was  pitiable  ;  I  was  pale, 
weak,  nervous,  exhausted,  unable  to  collect  my 
thoughts,  or  control  my  fancies.  I  slowly 
recovered  from  this  attack,  but  it  was  many 
weeks  before  I  regained  my  usual  life,  energy, 
and  buoyant  spirits.  Thoroughly  frightened  at 
last,  I  determined  to  stop  drinking,  and  for  four 
months  did  not  touch  a  drop. 

When  I  "  got  on  my  feet  again,"  I  opened  a 
faro  bank  in  the  old  rooms  previously  occupied 
by  Sterling  and  Grunauer.  The  game  flourished, 
and  for  about  three  months  I  won  steadily. 
One  night  there  was  a  big  game  in  progress, 
many  prominent  sporting  men  from  abroad 
being  present  and  playing  against  me,  when  a 
posse  of  police  suddenly  made  their  appearance, 
entering  through  the-  skylight  and  the  rear 
windows,  which  they  had  reached  by  means  of 
a  ladder.  The  game  was  intensely  exciting, 
and  we  did  not  hear  the  approach  of  the 
"peelers."  Our  first  intimation  that  they  were 
in  the  vicinity,  was  when  they  stood  before  us 


78  Mason  Long  : 

and  told  us  to  consider  ourselves  under  arrest. 
The  countenances  of  the  eighteen  players  in 
the  room  were  indeed  a  study,  and  presented  a 
ludicrous  spectacle.  This  raid  was  the  imme- 
diate result  of  the  threats  made  by  one  of  the 
number,  who  had  threatened  publicly  to  kill 
the  first  "  peeler  "  who  should  ever  attempt  his 
arrest  in  a  gambling  room.  This  threat  nettled 
the  bold  chief,  "  Mike  "  Singleton,  who  laid  his 
plans  carefully  to  "  bag  "  this  dangerous  (?) 
sport.  The  raid  was  cleverly  executed,  and,  as 
was  to  be  expected,  the  valor  of  the  sanguinary 
individual  referred  to,  rapidly  oozed  out  at  the 
pores.  In  the  confusion,  he  entered  my  sleep- 
ing apartment  and  locked  the  door.  The  police 
attempted  to  force  it  open,  but  I  warned  them 
not  to  do  so,  as  the  room  was  a  private  one,  not 
used  for  gambling  purposes.  They  allowed  us 
to  settle  up  the  game,  and  then  confiscated  my 
tools,  and  marched  us  to  the  lock-up.  As  we 
reached  the  hallway,  the  cowardly  braggadocio 
who  had  locked  himself  in  my  bedroom  opened 
the  door,  dashed  through  the  gambling  hall, 
and  jumped  out  of  the  back  window,  taking 
sash  and  all  with  him.  He  landed  in  a  garden, 
and  thus  made  good  his  escape,  as  the  police 
could  not  leave  us  to  look  after  him. 

I  had  won  five  hundred  dollars  before  the 
raid,  but  had  to  deposit  one  hundred  and  eighty 
dollars  to  secure  the  release  of  the  crowd,  and 


Converted  Gambler.  81 

in  the  bargain,  lost  my  kit  of  checks,  valued  at 
one  hundred  dollars. 

Of  course,  these  police  raids  were  of  more 
or  less  frequent  occurrence.  During  my  ten 
years  of  gambling  in  Fort  Wayne,  my  house 
was  "  pulled,"  on  an  average,  two  or  three 
times  annually.  I  never  allowed  any  man 
caught  in  my  place  to  be  locked  up,  even  if  I 
had  to  borrow  money  to  bail  him  out  with. 
I  presume  I  have  paid  into  the  city  treasury  of 
Fort  Wayne,  in  consequence  of  these  arrests, 
not  less  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  or 
three  thousand  dollars,  not  to  speak  of  the 
loss  I  sustained  by  the  confiscation  of  many 
valuable  kits  of  tools. 

The  newspapers  and  the  public  generally  are 
in  the  habit  of  censuring  police  officers  for  the 
infrequency  of  their  raids  upon  gamblers,  and 
in  many  cases,  without  reason.  It  is  a  most 
difficult  matter  to  make  these  arrests  success- 
fully. The  police  have  no  right  to  break  into 
a  room  upon  suspicion,  merely,  and  they  do  so 
at  their  own  risk.  In  order  to  work  a  con- 
viction, it  is  necessary  to  prove  the  gambling, 
and  that  is  very  frequently  hard  to  do,  as,  in 
many  cases,  it  could  only  be  done  through  the 
testimony  of  the  players  themselves,  and  no 
one  can  be  required  to  criminate  himself  on  the 
witness  stand.  Many  skillfully  planned  and 
cleverly  executed  raids  have  proved^  "  water 


82  Mason  Long: 

hauls,"  merely -^because  the  officers  were  unable 
to  show  positively  that  gambling  was  being 
done.  The  doors  are  always  kept  locked  and 
bolted,  with  a  guard  outside  to  give  warning, 
by  an  understood  signal,  of  the  approach  of  the 
"  cops."  It  is  an  easy  thing  to  secrete  and  lock 
up  cards,  tools,  etc.,  and  by  the  time  the  officers 
gain  admission — if  they  do  so  at  all — they  fre- 
quently find  only  a  party  of  gentlemen  quietly 
smoking  cigars  and  reading  the  newspapers. 
The  officers  have  no  right  to  break  open  trunks, 
or  closets,  upon  suspicion  that  they  contain 
gambling  tools,  and,  in  such  cases,  it  is  useless 
to  make  arrests. 

I  have  known  the  police  to  work  for  weeks 
devising  some  plan  of  bagging  a  nest  of  sports. 
They  usually  choose  a  time  when  the  gamblers 
are  supposed  to  be  "flush,"  in  order  that  the 
city  treasury  may  receive  a  "  benefit."  They 
scale  buildings,  climb  ladders,  let  themselves 
down  from  the  roofs  through  skylights,  dis- 
guise themselves  in  citizen's  clothes,  and,  in 
fact,  resort  to  all  manner  of  stratagems  to  cap- 
ture the  gentlemen  who  buck  the  tiger. 

Of  course,  there  are  many  ludicrous  inci- 
dents connected  with  these  affairs.  One  night, 
while  I  was  keeping  a  room  at  74  Calhoun 
Street,  Fort  Wayne,  the  "  peelers "  stealthily 
crept  up  to  our  outside  guard,  who  was  sitting 
in  front  of  the  door  asleep,  seized  him,  and 


Converted  Gambler.  83 

before  he  was  fairly  awake,  had  takeii  the  keys 
from  his  pocket,  and  entered  our  room,  much 
to  our  disgust  and  amazement ;  of  course,  we 
had  to  "walk  up  to  the  captain's  office  and 
settle." 

Occasionally  a  man  who  never  plays  drops 
into  a  gambling  room  as  a  spectator,  through 
mere  curiosity.  When  such  "  innocents  "  find 
themselves  in  the  hands  of  the  police,  their  ter- 
ror is  very  amusing  to  the  thoroughbreds,  who 
are  hardened  to  such  experiences.  I  remember 
distinctly  the  futile  and  ridiculous  efforts  of 
two  of  these  "  spring  chickens  "  to  escape  from 
the  blue  coats  in  one  of  my  Fort  Wayne  rooms, 
on  West  Berry  Street.  There  was  a  small 
dumb  waiter  in  the  room,  in  which  drinks  and 
cigars  were  brought  up  from  the  saloon  below. 
This  was  about  large  enough  to  hold  a  Very  small 
tray ;  but  when  the  officers  arrived  that  night, 
these  two  boys  jumped  into  it  and  attempted  to 
run  it  down.  It  is  as  hard  for  a  camel  to  pass 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle  as  it  was  for  these 
worthies  to  descend  through  this  small  space  ; 
and  as  the  police  gently  took  them  forth  from 
their  ridiculous  hiding-place,  their  countenances 
presented  a  decidedly  sheepish  aspect.  This 
was  probably  their  first  visit  to  a  gambling  room, 
and  they  had  never  played  ;  but  like  the  rest 
of  us,  they  had  to  "  plank  down  "  ten  dollars 
each.  It  was  probably  the  best  thing  that 


84  Mason  Long: 

could  have  happened  them,  as  they  doubtless 
concluded  to  keep  out  of  such  places  in  future. 
One  of  my  sporting  enterprises  in  Fort  Wayne 
was  a  private  "  club  room "  for  gentlemen. 
This  place  was  frequented  by  some  of  the  lead- 
ing business  men  and  wealthiest  citizens  of  Fort 
Wayne,  who  liked  to  play  among  themselves, 
but  did  not  desire  to  come  in  contact  with  reg- 
ular sporting  men.  They  were  bankers,  capi- 
talists, merchants,  city  and  county  officials,  and 
men  of  that  class.  While  I  kept  this  room,  the 
mayor  received  an  anonymous  letter,  to  the 
effect  that  it  was  resorted  to  by  mechanics, 
laboring  men,  and  others,  who  were  there  rob- 
bed of  the  money  which  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren needed.  Upon  the  strength  of  this,  he 
ordered  the  chief  of  police  to  make  an  imme- 
diate raid,  and  to  refuse  less  than  fifty  dollars 
bail  in  each  case.  And  so  we  received  a  call 
one  night,  and  the  "peelers"  found  six  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Fort  Wayne  having  a  quiet 
game  of  poker  among  themselves.  They  were 
all  put  under  arrest,  but,  of  course,  promptly 
furnished  bail.  One  of  the  police  "  froze  "  to 
my  check-rack,  which  I  hated  to  part  with.  I 
tried  to  get  it  from  him  by  various  devices, 
which  proved  fruitless.  Finally,  as  the  police 
were  about  leaving,  I  invited  them  to  "  take 
something."  The  room-boy  brought  up  a 
"round  of  drinks,"  and  the  "peeler"  laid 


Converted   Gambler.  85 

down  my  check-rack  while  he  absorbed  his 
liquor ;  when  he  had  swallowed  his  drink,  he 
reached  for  the  "rack,"  but  it  was  gone — safely 
lodged  in  a  clothes-press,  which  was  locked, 
and  which  the  police'  dared  not  open.  They 
could  get  no  information  as  to  the  mysterious 
disappearance,  and  took  their  departure  minus 
the  trophy  ;  the  chief,  in  the  meantime,  admin- 
istering a  severe  reprimand  to  the  officer  whose 
fondness  for  liquor  had  caused  the  trouble. 

After  our  guests  departed,  we  had  another 
game,  in  which  I  won  four  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five dollars  from  the  business  men,  none  of 
whom  has  probably  forgotten  this,  to  them, 
eventful  night. 

The  "raid"  which  caused  the  bully  to  jump 
from  the  window,  frightened  the  owner  of  the 
building,  and  he  gave  me  notice  to  vacate.  I 
then  returned  to  the  room  which  I  had  occu- 
pied at  the  time  of  the  explosion.  There  were 
two  faro  banks  in  full  blast  in  this  building, 
one  kept  by  a  noted  Louisville  sport  named 
Gregg,  who  afterwards  died  of  small  pox,  and 
the  other  by  myself.  Business  was  good  here, 
but  I  soon  made  another  move  to  No.  60  Cal- 
houn  Street  where  I  ran  the  largest  game  I  ever 
had.  During  the  races  of  1872,  there  was  "big 
money"  lost  against  my  game.  In  one  night  I 
won  over  twenty-two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars in  two  hours,  of  which  seventeen  hun- 


86  Mason  Long : 

dred  dollars  was  lost  by  Jesse  Winter,  a 
well-known  gambler  of  Cincinnati,  and  four 
hundred  dollars  by  a  traveling  salesman  for  an 
Indianapolis  firm,  who  was  shortly  afterward 
sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  embezzlement. 

In  the  Spring  of  1873,  two  men  from  Fort 
Wayne  and  myself  opened  a  faro  game  at  Lo- 
gansport,  where  we  speedily  lost  our  bank  roll 
of  two  thousand  dollars.  My  partners  returned 
to  Fort  Wayne  for  money,  and  during  their 
absence,  I  borrowed  two  hundred  dollars,  and 
opened  a  two  hundred  dollar  "snap."  I  won 
seven  hundred  dollars  the  first  night,  and  when 
my  partners  got  back  had  thirty-one  hun- 
dred dollars.  We  re-opened  our  game  with 
a  nine  hundred  dollar  bank  roll,  which  disap- 
peared the  first  two  nights,  whereupon  my 
partners  left  in  disgust.  I  remained  in  Logans- 
port  and  dipped  into  a  big  game  of  poker  at 
which  I  lost  twenty-one  hundred  dollars  in 
one  week.  I  then  resumed  faro,  and  having 
won  nine  hundred  dollars  left  for  Fort  Wayne 
with  sixteen  hundred  dollars  in  my  pocket. 

I  then  determined  to  embark  in  "the  saloon 
business,  and  conduct  a  gambling  room  in  con- 
nection therewith.  I  leased  a  building  at  No. 
74  Calhoun  Street  in  the  Summer  of  1873,  and 
fitted  it  up  at  an  expense  of  thirty-five  hundred 
dollars,  of  which  I  paid  sixteen  hundred  dol- 
lars in  cash.  The  saloon,  when  thrown  open, 


Converted   G-ambler,  87 

was  the  handsomest  in  the  city.  There  was 
an  elegant  black  walnut  bar,  a  black  wal- 
nut sideboard,  costing  five  hundred  dollars, 
mirrors,  Brussels  carpets,  etc.  The  rooms  were 
supplied  with  fine  billiard  tables  which  I  pur- 
chased on  time,  giving  my  notes  therefor,  and 
afterward  winning  the  notes  from  the  holder 
at  the  gaming  table. 

I  opened  to  an  immense  business.  My  prede- 
cessor at  this  place,  took  in  only  from  three  to 
eight  dollars  a  day  ;  but  the  first  day  I  opened, 
my  bar  receipts  were  forty  dollars,  and  they 
increased  daily  until  they  reached  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars.  The  first  month  my 
sales  amounted  to  twenty-two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  for  whisky,  billiards,  etc.  My 
gambling  rooms  were  in  the  second  story,  and 
business  was  so  brisk  that  I  had  to  have  two 
kits  and  tables,  and  two  games  frequently  run- 
ning in  one  room.  The  first  year,  the  entire 
institution,  gambling  room,  saloon,  etc.,  netted 
me  over  eight  thousand  dollars,  and  yet  at  its 
termination,  I  was  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in 
debt,  all  caused  by  recklessness,  extravagance, 
and  dissipation.  During  the  Northern  Indiana 
Fair  of  1874,  I  reaped  a  rich  harvest.  I  con- 
ducted a  bar  two  hundred  feet  long  at  the  Fair 
grounds,  and  on  the  day  of  the  Firemen's 
Tournament,  when  there  were  said  to  have  been 
forty  thousand  people  on  the  grounds,  the  re- 


88  Mason  Long  : 

ceipts  were  thirteen  hundred  and  sixty-five 
dollars  for  beer,  whisky,  and  cigars  at  this 
place.  On  the  same  day,  the  receipts  at 
iny  saloon  and  gambling  hall  were  fourteen 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  most  of  which  was 
realized  from  the  games.  During  these  races, 
there  were  three  games  of  faro  and  one  "  red 
and  black  table"  in  constant  operation  in  my 
rooms. 

Another  profitable  time  for  me  was  the  great 
Soldiers  Re-union  of  1874,  when  my  receipts 
were  very  large.  Many  of  them  dropped  in  to 
see  me,  and  one  night  I  won  about  nine  hun- 
dred dollars  from  them,  for  old  acquaintance 
sake. 

These  were  the  most  profitable  days,  finan- 
cially, I  ever  had,  and  yet  they  availed  me 
little.  I  was  constantly  in  debt,  and  squandered 
my  money  in  all  kinds  of  reckless  dissipation 
and  extravagance.  My  establishment  being 
the  headquarters  of  professional  gamblers, 
attracted  many  loafers  and  hangers-on.  This 
gradually  drove  away  my  best  customers.  I 
drank  and  caroused  around  freely,  neglected 
my  business,  and  let  my  stock  run  down. 
Whenever  I  got  tv/o  thousand,  three  thousand, 
or  four  thousand  dollars  together,  I  left  the  city 
to  attend  horse  races,  chicken  fights,  or  some 
other  similar  affair,  and  frequently  returned 
without  a  cent. 


Converted  (rambler.  89 

I  will  describe  one  trip,  as  an  illustration. 
In  the  Spring  of  1874,  I  left  home  to  attend  a 
chicken  fight,  at  Tolleston,  Ind.,  the  match 
being  between .  the  Chappell  Brothers,  of 
Detroit,  and  Jerry  Monroe,  of  Chicago.  I  was 
on  a  spree  when  I  left  home,  and  took  a  bottle 
of  whisky  with  me,  from  which  I  drank  so 
freely  that  I  was  carried  past  Tolleston,  and 
into  Chicago,  where  I  arrived  in  the  morning. 
I  stepped  into  a  restaurant,  took  a  cocktail, 
ordered  breakfast,  and  while  it  was  being 
prepared,  went  up  stairs  to  visit  a  faro  game  ; 
while  my  pheasant  was  being  broiled,  I  won 
eight  hundred  and  forty  dollars,  and  when  the 
bell  rang  for  breakfast,  I  sat  down  with  that 
amount  of  winnings  in  my  pocket.  I  dropped 
into  a  pawn-shop,  where  I  paid  five  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars  for  a  watch  and  chain,  and 
one  hundred  and  forty  five  dollars  for  a  pair  of 
bracelets,  for  neither  of  which  I  had  any  use, 
and  returned  to  Fort  Wayne.  I  mention  this 
simply  as  an  illustration  of  the  extravagance 
and  recklessness  of  the  average  gambler.  In 
three  days  after  purchasing  this  watch  and 
chain,  I  had  it  pawned  for  three  hundred  dol- 
lars.* I  frequently  had  it  in  "  soak  "  after  that, 
and  altogether  I  presume  I  borrowed  not  less 
than  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  upon  it. 
I  finally  sacrificed  it  for  one  hundred  and 
seventy  dollars. 


90  Mason  Long : 

My  palatial  gambling  room  and  saloon  was 
rapidly  becoming  one  of  the  worst  dens  in  the 
city.  That  which  I  had  originally  intended  as 
a  resort  for  gentlemen  and  business  men, 
became  finally  the  headquarters  of  all  the  blear- 
eyed  bummers,  whisky  bloats,  and  dead-beats 
in  the  city.  People  with  any  claims  to  respect- 
ability, avoided  it  studiously.  The  newspapers 
"  wrote  it  up,"  and  facetiously  denominated  it 
"Mace  Long's  Bazaar,"  and  "Mace  Long's 
Confectionery."  My  game  was  deserted,  I  was 
out  of  funds,  badly  entangled  in  debt,  and 
I  gave  myself  up  to  the  grossest  intemperance. 

About  this  time  I  employed  an  old  soak 
known  to  local  fame  as  "Deacon"  Bronson,  as 
my  bartender.  The  Deacon  was  a  "  charac- 
ter." Once  a  prominent  railroad  man,  after- 
ward the  proprietor  of  some  of  the  most 
fashionable  and  popular  drinking  resorts  in  the 
city,  the  Deacon  had  gone  down  step  by 
step,  until  he  had  become  a  mere  common 
drunkard.  His  excessive  use  of  liquor  had 
softened  a  brain  which  had  never,  to  tell  the 
truth,  been  phenomenally  developed;  and  the 
Deacon,  was  a  target  for  all  the  corner  loafers 
in  town. 

I  employed  the  Deacon  at  a  nominal  salary, 
his  board  and  liquor  being  the  main  induce- 
ments. His  duties  were  not  very  arduous,  but 
he  exerted  himself  quite  successfully  to  see  that 


Converted  G-ambler.  91 

my  stock  of  liquors  did  not  accumulate  too 
fast.  The  customers  were  quite  scarce,  and 
those  who  did  call  were  usually  out  of  funds. 

One  cold  winter  morning  an  event  of  unus- 
ual interest  transpired.  A  customer  called  — 
a  real  customer,  with  a  clean  shirt  on,  and 
some  money  in  his  pocket.  I  had  been  absent 
for  some  time  on  a  spree.  The  Deacon  had  just 
opened  the  saloon,  and  had  searched  in  vain 
for  his  morning  bitters,  the  stock  of  liquor 
being  exhausted.  He  was  standing  behind  the 
bar,  rubbing  his  hands  and  looking  decidedly 
uncomfortable,  when  the  aforesaid  stranger 
entered. 

"  Give  me  some  whisky,"  said  he. 

"  We  haven't  got  any  whisky  this  morning," 
drawled  out  the  Deacon,  rubbing  his  hands  as 
before. 

"  Well,  give  me  some  beer,  then." 

"  We  haven't  got  any  beer,"  again  whim- 
pered the  Deacon,  in  his  usual  sing-song  style, 
still  rubbing  his  hands. 

"  Give  me  a  cigar,  then,"  was  the  next  order. 

"  We  haven't  got  any  cigars,"  said  the  Dea- 
con, as  he  rubbed  his  hands  some  more. 

"  What  in  h —  have  you  got  ?  "  ejaculated 
the  would-be  customer,  in  disgust. 

*'  We  have  some  real  nice  claret  wine," 
replied  the  Deacon,  as  he  took  another  rub  at 
his  hands. 


92  Mason  Long: 

"  D — d  if  I'll  make  an  ice  cream  freezer  out 
of  my  stomach  such  .a  day  as  this,"  was  the 
final  remark  of  the  gentleman,  as  he  passed  out 
the  door. 

Claret,  as  the  reader  is  aware,  is  a  summer 
drink,  and  is  as  much  out  of  place  on  a  cold 
winter's  day  as  ice  cream  or  soda  water. 

I  arrived  at  the  saloon  shortly  afterward, 
learned  the  situation,  and  concluded  to  stock 
up.  I  handed  my  able  assistant  ninety  cents, 
and  with  that  amount  he  visited  the  Fruit 
House,  purchased  a  gallon  of  the  "best 
imported  liquor,"  and  when  he  returned  we 
were  again  ready  for  business.  The  Deacon 
took  care  that  the  whisky  should  not  spoil. 

About  this  time  I  made  a  desperate  attempt 
to  retrieve  my  failing  fortunes.  I  sold  off  my 
billiard  tables  to  citizens  for  their  private  resi- 
dences. I  converted  my  establishment  into  a 
beer  saloon,  with  waiter  girls  as  attractions. 
This  expedient  revived  business  temporarily, 
but  trade  soon  dropped  off  again.  My  institu- 
tion was  more  of  a  nuisance  than  ever,  for 
there  are  few  greater  pests  in  a  city  than  these 
waiter-girl  saloons. 

About  this  time  some  of  my  creditors  became 
impatient  with  me,  brought  suits,  and  obtained 
judgments.  Executions  were  issued  against 
me,  and  one  night  at  a  late  hour  a  constable 
entered  my  saloon  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 


Converted  Gambler.  93 

levy.  I  was  drunk,  and  was  sitting  at  a  beer 
table  with  a  couple  of  boon  companions,  who 
were  in  the  same  condition.  The  constable 
was  at  least  as  drunk  as  I.  When  he  served 
the  execution  I  said  I  would  lock  up,  and  give 
him  the  keys  Until  the  next  morning,  when  I 
would  raise  the  money  and  pay  the  judgment. 
He  told  me  to  keep  open  and  sell,  and  he  would 
stay  and  take  the  money,  to  be  applied  in  pay- 
ment. I  consented,  and  resumed  my  seat  at 
the  table,  anxiously  waiting  for  some  customers. 
Soon  I  noticed  the  officer  behind  the  bar  deal- 
ing out  the  whisky  and  cigars  to  himself,  and  a 
crowd  of  his  dead-beat  associates.  Of  course 
I  protested,  whereupon  he  took  hold  of  some 
furniture  and  began  moving  it  out.  Upon  this 
I  seized  him  by  the  neck  and  produced  consid- 
erable pressure  upon  his  windpipe.  He  then 
took  his  departure,  threatening  to  return 
shortly. 

I  again  seated  myself  with  my  two  compan- 
ions, and  in  a  little  while  the  enraged  officer  re- 
turned, entering  through  the  back  door  which 
I  had  forgotten  to  lock.  He  tried  to  read  the 
warrant,  but  was  too  drunk  to  do  so.  I  con- 
sented to  accompany  him,  however,  and  started 
out  of  the  door  with  him.  As  we  were  leav- 
ing, my  two  pals  showed  their  devotion  to  my 
cause  by  novel  demonstrations,  one  of  them  giv- 
ing the  constable  a  terrible  kick  in  an  exposed 


94  Mason  Long : 

portion  of  his  anatomy,  and  the  other  placing 
the  lighted  end  of  a  cigar  gently  against  his 
neck.  He  uttered  an  exclamation  of  pain  and 
hurried  me  before  a  magistrate,  where  I  was 
ordered  to  give  fifty  dollars  bonds  for  my  ap- 
pearance the  next  day,  and  being  unable  to  do  so 
was  committed  to  jail.  I  walked  over  with  the 
constable  and  when  we  entered  the  building 
I  dealt  him  a  vigorous  blow  in  the  head,  laying 
him  flat  upon  the  stone  floor.  The  turnkey 
seized  me  and  hustled  me1  into  a  cell.  There 
were  two  horse  thieves  in  the  next  cell  and  a 
murderer  just  above.  I  undressed,  laid  down 
on  my  bunk,  and  soon  fell  into  a  drunken 
slumber.  In  a  short  time  I  was  awakened,  two 
friends  having  come  over  and  secured  my  re- 
lease. Thus  ended  the  only  "  half  hour  in 
jail "  I  ever  passed. 

The  next  day  I  raised  the  wind,  paid  my 
fine,  and  in  the  evening  re-opened  my  faro 
bank  with  only  seventy-five  dollars  on  hand. 
I  made  some  small  winnings,  but,  convinced 
that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  longer  to  stem 
the  tide,  I  therefore  "locked  myself  up," 
i.  e.,  closed  the  saloon  and  disposed  of  it  to  the 
best  advantage  for  the  benefit  of  my  creditors. 
The  remnants  of  the  establishment  which  had 
originally  cost  thirty-five  hundred  dollars 
sold  for  only  four  hundred  and  twenty-five 


Converted  Gambler.  95 

dollars,  and  that  amount  I  handed  over  to  my 
creditors. 

Then  I  was  afloat  again.  The  vice  of  intem- 
perance had  kept  growing  upon  me  and  I 
was  intoxicated  most  of  the  time.  I  opened  a 
"gentleman's  poker  room,"  but  scarcely  any 
one  visited  it,  and  I  was  generally  too  drunk  to 
attend  to  it;  I  was  "  going  down  hill "  more 
rapidly  than  ever,  and  every  one  was  ready,  as 
usual,  to  give  me  a  kick.  -I  partially  recovered 
myself,  however,  and  returned  to  my  former 
rooms  at  No.  60  Calhoun,  where  I  carried  on 
my  game  with  varying  fortune,  until  my  con- 
version, a  little  more  than  a  year  after.  Then 
I  bade  farewell  forever  to  the  vice  which  had 
kept  me  a  slave  for  so  many  years,  broke  the 
bonds  which  had  held  me  so  tightly,  and  found 
peace  and  happiness  in  believing. 


96  Mason  Long: 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"FOLLOWING  THE  TROTTERS  "  —  SIGHTS  AND  SCENES  ON 
THE  TURF  — MAKE-SHIFTS  OF  A  BROKEN  GAMBLER- 
CANADA'  BILL'S  CONFIDENCE  OPERATIONS  — TRAVEL- 
ING ON  "CHEEK"  — A  FOURTEEN  MONTHS'  DEBAUCH  — 
ANOTHER  HORRIBLE  EXPERIENCE  WITH_  DELIRIUM 
TREMENS. 

For  eight  years  I  made  a  practice  of  attend- 
ing the  horse-races  throughout  the  country.  -  I 
«*  followed  the  trotters  "  from  State  to  State, 
partly  for  the  sake  of  gambling  on  the  races 
and  partly  in  order  to  participate  in  the  large 
games  which  were  in  full  blast  during  these 
meetings.  I  was  thus  engaged  for  the  greater 
part  of  every  season,  and  in  the  course  of  these 
tours  passed  through  many  adventures,  such 
as  are  incident  to  the  career  of  a  gambler; 
some  of  them  will  perhaps  be  found  of  interest 
to  the  reader. 

My  fortune  in  betting  upon  horses  was  al- 
most -invariably  poor.  I  never  was  able  to 
"  get  into  the  ring,"  unless  it  was  one  intended 
for  my  especial  benefit,  in  order  to  rob  me. 
Once  in  a  great  while,  however,  I  had  a  small 
sized  "  streak  of  luck  "  in  this  line.  Among 
the  earliest  meetings  I  attended  was  at  Hunt- 


Converted  G-ambler.  97 

tington,  a  number  of  years  ago.  Eight  horses 
were  entered  in  one  of  the  races,  two  of  them 
going  in  the  pools  as  favorites  and  the  others 
selling  as  a  "  field."  I  did  not  know  a  horse 
in  the  race,  and  concluded  to  buy  the  "field," 
which  I  did  in  a  great  many  pools,  on  the 
night  before  the  race.  When  I  arrived  on  the 
grounds  I  discovered  that  all  the  horses  had 
been  withdrawn,  save  three,  and  I  loudly  pro- 
tested to  the  judges  that  they  "  couldn't  make 
a  field  out  of  one  old  gray  horse."  But  of 
course  I  was  overruled,  and  the  horses  started. 
I  tried  to  sell  my  pools  for  five  dollars,  but  in 
vain,  and  held  my  tickets,  as  no  one  else  would 
have  them.  In  the  first  heat,  however,  one  of 
the  favorite  horses  was  distanced  for  fear  of  a 
record.  In  the  second  the  other  was  taken 
sick  and  drawn  out,  and  this  left  the  old  gray 
to  trot  the  race  alone.  »I  won  a  handsome 
amount,  which  I  hastened  to  draw  from  the 
pool  box;  afterward  the  pools  were  declared 
"  off,"  and  I  was  besieged  for  the  money,  which 
I  gently  but  firmly  declined  to  pay  over,  to 
the  disappointment  of  those  who  had  bought 
the  "favorites."  Some  of  them  threatened  to 
"  bend  my  nose  for  me  ;  "  consulting  the  dic- 
tates of  prudence,  I  therefore  hastened  to 
town. 

That  night  I  engaged  in  a  game  of  poker  with  a 
stranger — a  keen,  wary,  quiet  individual,  with  a 


98  Mason  Long  : 

deep,  mysterious  look  in  his  small,  piercing  eyes 
— who  raked  in  all  of  my  winnings  on  the  race. 
I  was  cheating  in  the  game  but  got  beaten 
every  time.  I  could  not  understand  this,  until 
I  was  informed  that  my  adversary  had  a 
machine  in  his  coat  sleeve  by  means  of  which 
he  played  a  "sure  thing"  game.  The  sports 
were  anxious  to  examine  it,  and  that  evening 
we  got  the  stranger  engaged  in  an  interesting 
game  of  billiards,  at  which  he  was  an  expert. 
The  boys  made  some  bets,  and  the  stranger, 
getting  warmed  up,  drew  off  his  coat  in  order 
to  play  better ;  while  he  was  engrossed  in  the 
game,  the  boys  purloined  his  coat,  and  took  the 
machine  out  of  the  sleeve.  When  our  new 
acquaintance  discovered  the  trick  which  had 
been  played  upon  him,  he  cried  bitterly,  saying 
he  had  studied  three  years  to  invent  the  con- 
trivance, by  means  of  which  he  had  victimized 
me  so  .cleverly,  but  it  had  never  worked  suc- 
cessfully until  that  day.  It  was  what  we  called 
a  "  sleeve  hold-out,"  and  that  was  the  first  time 
it  was  ever  played  on  the  W abash,  although  it 
afterward  became  very  common.  With  my 
customary  bad  luck  I  was  its  first  dupe. 

Frequently  while  attending  the  races,  in  In- 
diana towns,  I  dealt  faro,  which  is  a  popular 
game  with  .those  who  delight  in  the  turf.  Once 
while  visiting  a  fair  at  Goshen,  I  opened  a  bank 
in  the  basement  of  the  Violett  House,  having  a 


Converted  G-ambler.  99 

cash  capital1  of  only  three  dollars.  I  took  my 
chances  of  winning,  and  risky  ones  they  were. 
No  man  who  has  never  been  "  behind  the  box  " 
can  realize  the  feelings  of  one  who  opens  a. 
game  with  little  or  no  capital  and  expects  to  be 
"  broke  "  at  every  turn.  On  the  evening  in 
question  I  sold  one  hundred  dollars  worth  of 
checks  before  pulling  a  card,  and  started  out 
with  losses  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars ; 
at  any  moment  the  players  were  liable  to  pre- 
sent their  checks,  which  I  could  not  have 
redeemed,  and  if  by  this  means  they  had  dis- 
covered that  they  had  been  playing  against 
nothing,  their  wrath  would  have  been  terrible. 
I  realized  my  situation,  but  continued  deal- 
ing with  plenty  of  nerve,  just  as  if  I  had 
thousands  of  dollars  behind  my  game.  Finally 
the  game  took  a  turn,  and  in  about  an  hour  I 
was  winner  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred 
and  ninety  dollars.  Then  I  was  very  anxious 
to  cease  playing  .while  I  could  redeem  the 
checks  and  not  expose  -myself,  not  knowing 
at  what  moment  the  run  of  luck  would 
once  more  go  against  me.  But  it  was  early 
—  I  could  invent  no  excuse  to  offer  —  so  I 
kept  on  dealing  until  an  incident  occurred 
which  put  a  summary  stop  to  the  proceedings, 
and  released  me  from  a  very  embarrassing 
position.  A  drunken  man,  passing  along  in 
front  of  the  hotel,  stumbled  and  fell  through 
5 


100  Mason  Long: 

the  window  into  the  basement  where  we  were 
playing,  carrying  sash  and  all  with  him  in  his 
sudden  descent.  Of  course  it  produced  a  great 
confusion,  and  the  cry  of  "  Police ! "  being 
raised,  the  boys  rushed  from  the  table,  remov- 
ing a  large  scantling  which  had  been  placed 
against  the  door  as  a  barrier,  and  making  their 
escape  in  double  quick  time.  I  picked  up 
money  and  kit  and  went  to  the  office  of  the 
hotel,  where  I  redeemed  all  my  checks,  and 
retired,  about  four  hundred  dollars  ahead. 
Among  those  who  played  against  me  that 
night  were  a  noted  Chicago  sport  known  as 
"  Little  Casino,"  and  a  notorious  Toledo  char- 
acter, Joe  Bean,  who  had  just  won  a  prize 
fight  at  Cheyenne,  and  who,  I  believe,  would 
have  murdered  me  if  he  had  known  that  he 
had  played  in  all  of  his  pugilistic  winnings 
against  my  three  dollars.  Dealing  without 
capital,  as  I  did  that  night,  is  grossly  unpro- 
fessional, and  no  genuine  sport  would  ever  do 
it.  I  was  "  green  "  at  the  time,  and  had  not 
learned  my  trade,  or  I  would  never  have  taken 
such  a  risk. 

With  these  winnings  in  my  pocket,  I  fol- 
lowed a  trail  to  a  room  in  the  upper  story  of 
the  hotel,  where  I  was  "  braced "  out  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  A  "brace"  game 
is,  I  may  explain,  'one  in  which  a  man  has 


Converted  G-ambler.  101 

no  chance  to  win  a  bet  unless  the  dealer  breaks 
his  finger,  and  that  he  never  does. 

For  several  years  I  never  failed  to  attend 
all  the  trotting  meetings  on  the  Indiana  and 
Michigan  circuits.  Many  times  I  visited  the 
races  at  Jackson,  where  I  alternately  lost  and 
won  large  sums  at  faro,  but  invariably  came 
out  behind  on  the  horses. 

One  day  in  1872,  when  I  was  on  the  Jackson 
fair  grounds,  suffering  from  the  effects  of 
whisky  and  heat,  I  sustained  a  sunstroke, 
which  laid  me  senseless  on  the  ground.  I 
was  carried  from  the  Park  to  the  Union  Hotel, 
where  I  remained  unconscious  for  several  days. 
I  was  then  removed  to  Fort  Wayne,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  I  recovered  from  the  attack, 
which  came  very  near  cutting  me  off  in  the 
midst  of  my  wicked  career. 

The  most  memorable  tour  of  the  races  I  ever 
made  was  in  1876.  This  I  shall  always  recol- 
lect as  my  "  Centennial  tour,"  and,  as  it  was 
indeed  full  of  incidents  and  adventures,  and 
abounded  in  the  ups  and  downs  which  charac- 
terize a  gambler's  life,  I  shall  relate  it  some- 
what in  detail,  as  a  fair  specimen  of  my  general 
experience  in  "following  the  trotters." 

I  began  my  summer  trip  at  Peru,  Indiana, 
where  I  opened  a  faro  bank  with  a  "roll"  of 
eight  hundred  dollars,  which  disappeared  in 
forty-eight  hours.  Meeting  a  Fort  Wayne 


102  Mason  Long: 

acquaintance,  I  borrowed  twenty  dollars,  with 
which  I  visited  a  faro  bank,  played  one  deal, 
and  drew  out  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars.  Hitherto  I  had  usually  bought  the 
favorite  in  the  pools,  but  had  resolved  to 
change  my  tactics  this  season,  and  buy  the 
fields  on  all  races,  believing  that  was  a  sure 
way  to  win.  I  went  to  the  Peru  fair  grounds 
and  invested  ray  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars  in  field  pools  on  a  trotting  race,  against 
Monarch,  Jr.,  getting  odds  of  five  to  one.  I 
was  cautioned  by  friends  not  to  be  so  reckless, 
as  they  said  Monarch,  Jr.,  was  sure  to  win. 
But  I  adhered  to  my  programme,  and  the 
favorite  was  almost  distanced  in  the  first  heat. 
The  field  won,  and  after  the  race  I  drew  six 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  from  the  pool- 
box,  less  the  auctioneer's  percentage.  A  friend 
of  mine,  a  lumber  dealer,  who  had  lost  four 
.hundred  dollars  on  Monarch,  Jr.,  reproached 
me  for  not  letting  him  into  my  "  sure  thing," 
and  scarcely  believed  me  when  I  told  him  I 
had  bought  blindly.  This  was  the  first  race 
that  I  had  beaten  in  three  years,  and  the  sur- 
prise was  a  great  one. 

I  returned  to  Fort  Wayne,  where  I  remained 
over  Sunday,  and  putting  my  room  in-  charge 
of  a  couple  of  sports,  told  them  I  was  off  for  a 
several  months'  tour.  I  then  went  to  Jackson, 
where  I  lost  every  dollar  I  had,  on  faro  the  first 


Converted  Gambler.  103 

morning,  before  breakfast.  I  laid  idle  at  Jack- 
son the  remainder  of  the  week,  and  when  I  left, 
my  valise,  well  filled  with  clothing,  remained 
at  the  hotel  as  security  for  the  board  bill.  I 
worked  my  way  to  Saginaw  as  groom  on  the 
horse  train,  walked  over  to  East  Saginaw  in  the 
rain,  and  proceeded  to  the  hotel.  In  the  mean- 
time I  had  borrowed  one  dollar,  and  purchased 
a  ninety-nine  cent  pasteboard  valise,  upon  the 
strength  of  which  I  expected  to  secure  admis- 
sion to  the  hotel.  In  this,  however,  I  was  sadly 
disappointed ;  as  I  entered  the  hotel,  and  ap- 
proached the  desk,  the  landlord  cast  a  glance 
at  me,  let  his  eyes  rest  for  a  second  upon  my 
baggage,  threw  up  his  hands,  and  ejaculated : 
"We're  all  full."  This  cool  reception  was  a 
decided  surprise  to  me,  but  when  I  gazed  upon 
my  pasteboard  satchel,  it  was  easily  explained ; 
it  had  been  melted  down  by  the  rain,  and  the 
sole  contents  —  one  pair  of  badly  soiled  hose  — 
were  plainly  exposed  to  view.  The  situation 
was  an  awkward  one,  and  without  a  word  I 
hurried  away,  leaving  my  valise  behind,  amidst 
roars  of  laughter  from  the  crowd  who  filled  the 
office. 

I  succeeded  in  obtaining  quarters  at  another 
hotel,  raised  a  small  stake,  and  in  a  short 
time  had  Avon  five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  at 
faro.  From  Saginaw  I  went  to  Detroit,  thence 
to  Toledo,  and  next  to  Cleveland,  where  I  wit- 


104  Mason  Long: 

nessed  the  great  race  between  Goldsmith  Maid 
and  Smuggler,  which  was  won  by  the  latter. 
It  is  said  Budd  Doble  lost  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  on  that  match  ;  it  is  therefore  not  strange 
that  Mrs.  Doble  fainted  in  the  private  box  of 
the  amphitheater,  when  Smuggler  passed  under 
the  wire  leading  the  brave  little  mare. 

The  next  place  I  visited  was  Buffalo.  Since 
leaving  home  I  had  made  several  winnings,  but 
upon  departing  from  Buffalo  my  cash  capital 
had  diminished  to  six  dollars.  In  company 
with  an  old  friend,  Joe  Hull,  of  Toledo,  I  went 
to  Niagara  Falls  to  spend  the  Sabbath.  We 
registered  at  the  Cataract  House,  and  proceed- 
ed to  visit  Goat  Island  and  the  other  points  of 
interest.  This  exhausted  our  funds,  and  we 
returned  to  the  hotel  in  a  penniless  condition. 
I  had  obtained  my  valise  from  Jackson,  and  by 
means  of  a  clever  stratagem,  we  got  it  out  of 
the  Cataract  House,  and  boarded  the  train  for 
Rochester.  Hull  obtained  passage  by  means  of 
his  remarkable  cheek,  while  I  was  carried  on 
the  strength  of  a  letter  "  To  all  Passenger  Con- 
ductors," indorsing  me  as  an  old  railroad  man. 
This  letter  was  written  for  me  by  a  notorious 
safe-blower,  and  by  its  'aid  I  traveled  hun- 
dreds of  miles  on  Eastern  railroads.  I  never 
learned  the  price  of  board  per  day  at  the  Cata- 
ract House. 

Arriving  at  Rochester,  I  borrowed  five  dol- 


Converted   G-amUer.  '  105 

lars,  which  was  promptly  invested  in  cocktails. 
While  in  that  city  I  was  "  staked,"  and  made 
a  winning  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars  on  faro.  I  went  on  a  terrible  spree  — 
during  which  time  "my  money  was  taken  from 
me  for  safe  keeping  —  and  left  for  Utica,  but 
was  so  "tired"  that  I  could  not  be  awakened  at 
that  point,  and  was  therefore  carried  through  to 
Albany.  Arriving  at  the  latter  place  I  found 
myself  in  my  stocking  feet,  without  funds,  my 
valise  gone,  and  one  shoe  in  one  car  and  one  in 
another,  with  an  empty  whisky  bottle  in  each. 
With  much  difficulty  I  gathered  myself  together, 
left  the  train,  and  entered  the  eating-house, 
where  I  got  into  conversation  with  a  pleasant 
old  gentleman,  who  talked  to  me  kindly,  and 
gave  me  some  seasonable  warnings  against  gam- 
blers and  three-card-monte  men.  I  wondered 
how  they  could  take  any  advantage  of  me  in 
my  impecunious  condition,  and  hastily  ate  my 
breakfast,  and  in  passing  from  the  hall  was  ac- 
costed by  a  clerk,  who  demanded  a  dollar  for 
the  meal ;  pointing  to  the  old  gentleman,  I  said, 
"  Father  will  settle  that,"  and  hurried  away. 
I  have  often  wondered  how  "dad"  got  out. 
I  went  back  to  Utica,  and  remained  there 
several  days  ;  soon  after  my  arrival  I  got  drunk, 
and  my  prolonged  dissipation  and  exposure  led 
to  an  attack  of  illness,  which,  though  brief,  was 
very  severe. 


106  Mason  Long: 

During  my  stay  in  Utica  I  was  so  "light," 
financially,  that  I  was  unable  most  of  the  time 
to  attend  the  races. 

The  city  was  crowded  with  people,  and  there 
was  much  gambling  and  robbing  going  on.  The 
confidence  men  and  monte  players  were  in 
clover  and  counted  their  gains  by  the  thou- 
sands. Among  them  was  the  most  notorious ' 
and  successful  thief  who  ever  operated  in  this 
country,  "  Canada  Bill,"  whose  name  is  familiar 
to  every  newspaper  reader.  He  had  rented  for 
the  week,  at  an  exorbitant  figure,  a  saloon  on 
one  of  the  principal  streets  of  the  city.  Here 
he  made  his  headquarters,  and  he  had  scores 
of  "ropers  "  and  "  decoy  ducks  "  on  the  streets, 
in  the  saloons,  at  the  track,  and,  in  fact,  every 
where  capturing  "  suckers."  To  these  "  cap- 
pers" he  paid  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  amount 
realized  from  the  "bloaks"  they  brought  in. 
At '  the  rear  of  the  saloon  there  was  a  little 
room,  carefully  guarded,  in  which  the  robberies 
were  committed.  Only  one  party  was  allowed 
in  this  place  at  one  time,  so  that  the  game 
might  not  be  exposed  to  prospective  dupes. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  great  races  at  Utica, 
a  well-known  Fort  Wayne  sport,  whom  I  will 
call  "Dan,"  and  myself,  found  ourselves  with- 
out sufficient  means  to  attend.  Our  cash  was 
'  limited  to  a  small  supply  of  "  shinnies,"  and 
we  concluded  to  pass  away  the  time  in  playing 


Converted  G-ambler.  107 

dominoes  for  the  beer.  While  thus  engaged, 
an  elderly,  well-dressed,  intelligent  looking 
gentleman  entered  the  saloon  and  called  for  a 
glass  of  beer.  He  watched  us  play  for  a 
moment,  and  asked  us  to  join  him  in  his 
refreshments,  which,  it  is  needless  to  say,  we 
promptly  did.  We  drank  two  or  three  times 
together,  and,  getting  into  conversation,  we 
learned  that  the  stranger  was  a  leading  attor- 
ney from  Albany,  who  was  in  Utica  trying  an 
important  canal  case".  The  old  gentleman, 
being  somewhat  overcome  with  the  heat,  step- 
ped into  a  barber-shop  near  by  and  asked  per- 
mission to  sit  in  one  of  the  chairs  and  cool 
himself  off  until  the  arrival  of  a  customer. 
He  sat  down  and  soon  fell  asleep.  I  suggested 
to  "Dan"  that  if  we  took  him  to  Canada  Bill's 
place,  he  might  drop  some  money,  and  we  would 
thus  make  a  raise.  "  Dan  "  scouted  the.  idea, 
saying  he  was  too  smart  a  man  to  be  caught  on 
three-card  monte.  But  I  thought  not,  and  we 
determined  at  all  events  to  make  the  effort. 
How  to  get  the  old  gentleman  out  of  the  bar- 
ber's chair  was  the  first  problem  that  presented 
itself.  Just  then  I  saw  a  poor  demoralized 
looking  tramp  wandering  aimlessly  about,  and 
as  he  evidently  needed  a  dose  of  the  razor,  I 
handed  him  money  enough  to  get  shaved, 
instructing  him  to  go  into  the  barber  shop  and 
demand  the  chair  occupied  by  our  Albany 


108  Mason  Long: 

friend.  He  did  so,  and  the  lawyer  stepped  out 
of  the  shop.  Meeting  us,  he  suggested  another 
glass  of  beer,  whereupon  I  remarked  that  the 
best  beer  I  had  found  in  Utica  was  at  a  saloon 
in  the  next  block,  and  asked  if  we  should  not 
go  there.  *A11  were  agreed,  and  we  proceeded 
to  "  Canada  Bill's."  While  en  route  there  the 
attorney  spoke  of  the  large  number  of  confi- 
dence men  in  the  city,  and  the  rich  harvest 
they  were  reaping.  "Dan"  and  myself  ex- 
changed significant  glances.  This  rather  dis- 
couraged us,  but  we  continued  on  our  way. 
Arrived  at  Bill's  establishment,  we  stepped 
into  the  back  room,  and  I  motioned  for  "  Dutch 
Charley,"  of  Chicago,  the  principal  "  capper," 
to  come  in  and  work  the  case,  as  I  didn't 
understand  it.  We  sat  down  at  the  table  and 
were  enjoying  a  glass  of  beer,  when  a  rustic 
looking  creature  entered  the  room,  munching  a 
huge  piece  of  pie,  which*  he  ate  with  palpable 
relish.  He  was  a  large  man,  dressed  in  coarse 
clothes,  with  a  sunburnt  countenance,  a  nose 
highly  illuminated  by  the  joint  action  of 
whisky  and  heat,  and  an  expression  of  inde- 
scribable greenness  and  "  freshness"  about  him. 
He  at  first  seemed  to  notice  no  one,  but  sat 
down  quietly  at  our  table,  and  devoted  himself 
strictly  to  his  pie,  until  it  had  disappeared  into 
his  capacious  stomach. 

This  strange  looking  creature  naturally  at- 


THE    DEMORALIZED    TRAMP. 


Converted   G-ambler.  Ill 

tracted  our  attention.  The  Albany  man  was 
particularly  startled  by  the  apparition,  and  after 
a  careful  survey  of  the  new  comer,  ejaculated, 
"  My  God,  see  what  we're  coming  to." 

"  Yes,"  responded  I,  "  and  we  haven't  got 
far  to  go  unless  we  stop  drinking!" 

The  subject  of  our  remarks,  who  seemed  to 
be  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  we  were 
discussing  him,  at  this  juncture,  looked  at  us 
and  said:  "  Gentlemen,  wont  ye'z  huv  a  drink 
of  suthin'  with  me  ?  "  We  all  declined  the  in- 
vitation, but  continued  to  study  the  appearance 
and  actions  of  the  supposed  "  Hoosier,"  with 
much?  interest  and  amusement.  He  took  no 
offense  at  our  refusal,  but  quietly  produced 
from  the  recesses .  of  his  great-coat  pocket,  a 
large  roll  of  money,  with  a  five  hundred  dollar 
bill  for  a  wrapper.  He  noticed  that  we  were 
watching  him  closely,  and  said : 

"  I  done  better  with  this  'ere  druv  of  cattle 
than  I  done  on  t'other  trip.  This  time  I  cleared 
five  thousand  dollars  from  my  druv,  but  last 
time  afore  this  them  New  York  chaps  skinned 
me,  confound  'em."  After  a  pause  he  contin- 
ued :  "  But  I  had  a  little  streak  o'  bad  luck 
comin'  down  on  the  train  from  New  York  this 
rnornin'.  I  met  some  strangers,  and  we  had  a 
little  game  with  tickets  like,  and  they  bet  me  I 
couldn't  turn  the  ticket,  and  won  thirty-five 
dollars  from  me,  durn  their  buttons." 


112  Mason  Long : 

"  Why,  man,  you've  been  playing  three-card 
monte,"  said  our  legal  friend.  "  Don't  you  know 
better  than  that  ?  " 

"  Thar,  thar,  that's  what  they  called  it ;  three- 
card  monte,  that's  it.  Wai,  if  they  did  get  my 
thirty-five  dollars,  I  took  their  tickets  away 
from  'em,  plague  on  'em.  I  am  goin'  to  larn 
that  'ere  game  myself,  so  I  kin  git  my  thirty- 
five  dollars  back." 

With  this  remark,  Canada  Bill  (for  it  was 
he)  produced  the  cards,  or  tickets,  as  he  called 
them,  and  began  throwing  them  on  the  table  in 
a  very  awkward  manner.  His  clumsiness 
amused  the  party,  and  finally  he  said,  "  Wai,  I 
want  to  get  even,  and  I'll  bet  any  man  ten  dol- 
lars he  can't  turn  that  'ere  ticket." 

"  Dutch  Charley  "  was  on  hand,  and  prompt- 
ly took  the  bet.  After  winning  he  said,  "  I'll 
bet  you  twenty,  now." 

"  O,  you're  too  lucky,"  said  Bill,  "  I  won't 
throw  'em  agin  for  you,  no  how ;  but  I'll  try 
you  for  twenty  dollars,"  continued  he,  turning 
to  me,  "  and  see  how  your  luck  is." 

Charley  slipped  me  a  twenty  dollar  bill,  and 
I  won  the  bet.  I  offered  to  bet  again,  but  Bill 
said  : 

"Thar,  thar,  I  lost  again.  Wai,  did  you 
ever  see  sich  luck.  I'm  out  now  nearly  one 
hundred  dollars  on  these  durned  tickets.  I 


Converted   G-ambler.  113 

won't  bet  yer  twenty  dollars,  but  I'll  just  put 
up  five  hundred  dollars  agin  any  ov  ye'z." 

With  this  he  turned  the  cards  to  win,  the 
old  gent  from  Albany  meanwhile  watching 
every  movement  closely,  and  evidently  wholly 
engrossed  in  Bill's  words  and  actions. 

"  I  have  only  eight  dollars,  or  I'd  bet  you," 
remarked  he. 

"  Wai,"  said  Bill,  "I'll  go  yer  two  hundred 
dollars  agin  yer  watch  and  chain." 

"  How  do  you  know  my  watch  and  chain  are 
worth  two  hundred  dollars?" 

"  Wai,  I  didn't  allow  that  a  man  o'  yer 
standing  wud  war  one  that  cost  much  less ;  of 
course  I'd  have  to  luk  at  it  afore  I'd  bet  that 
much  agin  it." 

"  It  didn't  cost  me  that  much,"  said  the  gen- 
tleman, as  Bill  examined  it. 

"  I  couldn't  go  yez  no  more'n  one  hundred 
and  ninety  dollars,  stranger,  on  that  'ere  watch 
and  chain." 

The  cards  in  the  mean  time  had  been  lying 
on  the  table,  and  the  attorney's  eyes  had  never 
been  removed  from  them.  The  bet  was  taken. 
Bill  put  his  one  hundred  and  ninety  dollars  in 
my  hands,  and  the  lawyer  covered  it  with  the 
watch,  retaining  the  chain  about  his  neck.  In 
his  excitement  and  haste  to  make  the  winning, 
which  he  considered  a  certainty,  he  reached  to 
turn  the  card,  when  Bill  covered  the  "tickets" 


114  Mason  Long: 

with  his  hands,  remarking :  "  Stranger,  yer 
stake  isn't  all  up  yet." 

Thereupon  the  gentleman  removed  the  chain 
from  his  neck,  handed  it  to  me  and  then  turned 
a  card.  Of  course  he  lost,  and  as  quick  as  a 
flash  of  lightning,  a  complete  understanding  of 
the  situation  dawned  upon  his  mind.  He  leaned 
back  in  his  chair,  rubbed  his  eyes,  took  a  care- 
ful survey  of  the  gang  by  which  he  was  sur- 
rounded, and  propounded  the  following  co- 
nundrum : 

"  Is  it  possible  that  I've  been  beat  at  three- 
card  monte  at  last !  " 

"Yes,  you've  got  beat,"  quickly,  answered 
the  shark  as  I  handed  him  the  watch. 

"Well  boys,"  said  the  victim,  who  cared  lit- 
tle for  the  pecuniary  loss,  but  seemed  humilia- 
ted at  the  fact  that  he  had  swallowed  the  bait, 
"  I  don't  want  to  part  with  that  watch  and 
chain,  because  it  was  a  present  to  me;  how 
much  will  you  take  for  it  ?  " 

"  I've  taken  more  than  half  a  bushel  of 
watches  this  week,  and  I  don't  know  what  to 
do  with. them,  so  I'll  return  this  to  you  for  one 
hundred  dollars,"  said  Bill,  as  quietly  as  if 
he  were  discussing  the  most  legitimate  business 
transaction. 

"  I  don't  think  my  fun  has  been  worth  over 
fifty  dollars  to  me,"  responded  the  attorney, "but 
I  will  give  you  that  amount." 


Converted  G-ambler.  117 

"  Well,  I'll  take  it,  as  I  didn't  have  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  with  you." 

A  check  was  produced,  the  attorney  filled  it 
out  for  fifty  dollars,  signed  it,  and  recovered  his 
watch  and  chain.  Bill  sent  a  messenger  with 
him  to  a  business  house  to  get  the  money.  Ar- 
riving at  the  door  of  the  establishment,  the  gen- 
tleman said  he  was  well  known  there  and  de- 
sired to  enter  alone  to  avoid  any  suspicion.  He 
asked  his  companion  for  the  check,  saying  he 
would  go  in,  get  it  cashed,  and  bring  out  the 
money.  The  fellow  handed  the  check  over,  the 
lawyer  hastily  tore  it  into  fragments  and  dis- 
missed the  young  man  with  a  kind  message  to 
his  master.  Upon  reporting  the  facts  he  found 
himself  out  of  a  situation.  "  Bill,"  after  all, 
lost  his  swag,  and  "  Dan  "  and  I  failed  to  get  our 
percentage.  This  was  my  first  and  last  expe- 
rience as  "  capper  "  for  a  confidence  man.  Can- 
ada Bill  made  many  thousands  of  dollars  that 
year  during  the  races.  He  was  a  most  expert 
operator  and  among  his  victims  were  many  per- 
sons of  intelligence  and  experience.  The  only 
way  to  avoid  such  sharks  is  not  to  bet  on  any 
thing,  and  I  have  described  this  game  in  detail, 
for  the  purpose  of  exposing  the  modus  operandi 
of  the  sharpers  who  go  about  in  search  of 
victims,  thus  placing  my  readers  upon  their 
guard.  "Bill"  squandered  his  money  very 
lavishly  and  drank  himself  to  death  in  about  a 


118  Mason  Long: 

year  after  the  incident  I  have  related.  He 
died  a  pauper. 

From  Utica  I  went  to  Saratoga  where  I  re- 
mained about  ten  days,  during  which  I  witnessed 
the  great  steeple-chase  race  which  caused  so 
much  excitement  and  upon  which  half  a  million 
dollars  is  said  to  have  changed  hands.  Vast 
sums  were  invested  upon  Osage.  This  horse  was 
in  the  lead  and  had  cleared  nine*  of  the  twelve 
hurdles,  when  he  fell  and  broke  his  neck,  killing 
his  rider  at  the  same  time.  It  was  generally 
believed  that  the  accident  was  caused  by  an 
attempt  to  pull  him.  After  this  my  financial  con- 
dition was  such  that  I  was  compelled  to  walk  to 
town.  Repairing  to  the  Grand  Union  Hotel 
where  I  had  been  sojourning,  I  explained  my 
position  to  the  clerk.  . 

"  I  bet  on  Osage,"  said  I. 

"  So  did  I,"  said  the  clerk.     . 

"  But  I'm  busted  and  a  thousand  miles  from 
home,"  said  I. 

"Well,  among  twenty-five  hundred  guests 
we  can  afford  to  have  one  gentleman,"  said  he 
as  he  marked  my  bill  paid. 

"  When  do  you  leave,"  continued  he. 

"  When  do  you  want  me  to  leave  ?  "  asked  I. 

"Just  as  soon  as  you  conveniently  can,"  was 
the  polite  answer,  and  I  was  one  of  the  passen- 
gers on  the  next  train  for  the  West. 

I  traveled  on  the  railroad  letter  before  re* 


Converted  G-amUer.  119 

>. 

ferred  to.  Only  once  did  I  have  any  difficulty 
with  a  conductor ;  that  was  between  Syracuse 
and  Buffalo.  He  looked  at  my  letter  and  said, 
"  all  right,  get  off,"  when  I  rose  to  go,  sorrow- 
fully remarking  : 

"  Is  it  possible  that  I  have  been  a  slave  to 
railroad  corporations  all  my  life  only  to  be 
treated  this  way  at  last  !  " 

This  touched  the  conductor's  heart,  and  he 
carried  me  to  Buffalo,  where  I  arrived  with 
eighty  cents  on  hand. 

I  had  then  been  absent  from  home  fourteen 
weeks,  which  had  been  passed  in  the  most 
reckless  dissipation.  I  had  abused  myself  in 
every  way,  had  deprived  myself  of  food  and 
sleep,  and  lived  on  whisky  for  days  at  a  time. 
I  now  began  to  feel  the  inevitable  effects 
of  this  course,  and  at  Cleveland  I  found  myself 
suffering  from  delirium,  the  horrors  of  which 
no  pen  can  adequately  portray.  I  imagined 
myself  pursued  by  a  vast  drove  of  cattle,  which 
swarmed  about  me,  and  followed  me  wherever 
I  went ;  they  were  continually  on  my  trail,  and 
by  no  efforts  of  the  will,  could  I  avoid  the  dread 
apparition.  I  crossed  the  street,  only  to  find 
them  there  before  me  «  I  turned  a  corner,  only 
to  see  them  coming  toward  me.  I  treaded  on 
my  tip  toes,  trying  to  steal  away  from  them, 
but  it  was  useless  ;  I  fully  realized  my  terrible 
condition,  and,  fearing  that  I  was  about  to  die, 


120  Mason  Long: 

I  took  the  train  forborne.  When  I  entered  the 
cars,  the  herd  of  steers  went  in  the  door  with 
me  ;  when  I  looked  out  the  window,  there  they 
were,  keeping  pace  with  the  train,  and  increased 
an  hundred  fold ;  waking  or  sleeping,  they  were 
ever  before  me.  When  I  reached  Fort  Wayne, 
T  thought  to  avoid  them  by  hurriedly  leaving 
the  train,  and  going  stealthily  and  quietly  to 
my  room,  but  I  had  taken  only  a  few  steps, 
when  the  entire  herd,  that  had  followed  me 
from  Cleveland,  seemed  to  have  concentrated 
into  one  huge  ox,  with  piercing  eyes  and  swell- 
ing nostrils,  and  a  great  horn  in  front.  This 
prodigious  animal,  which  stood  ever  in  my 
path,  seemed  coming  toward  me,  and  I  stepped 
into  the  gutter  to  avoid  him.  There  he  was 
also,  and,  in  my  despair,  I  reached  forth  to 
seize  him  by  the  horn,  but  he  eluded  my  grasp. 
I  passed  several  nights,  which  were  filled  with 
the  most  fearful  horrors,  at  my  room.  So 
ungovernable  was  I  in  my  terrible  suffering, 
that  I  could  induce  no  one  to  sleep  with  me 
through  an  entire  night.  Those  dreadful  cat- 
tle were  still  with  me ;  waking  or  sleeping,  they 
were  ever  before  my  eyes.  In  the  vain  hope 
of  relief,  I  left  the  city,  and  went  to  Waterloo, 
where  I  remained  several  days  and  nights, 
undergoing  the  most  severe  physical  and  mental 
torment.  In  my  room  was  a  nail  head  protru- 
ding from  the  wall,  which,  when  I  reclined 


Converted  Gambler.  123 

upon  the  bed,  appeared,  to  my  distorted  vision, 
in  all  kinds  of  grotesque  and  horrid  shapes.  It 
assumed  the  outline  of  a  wild  animal,  seeming 
about  to  plunge  at  me,  and  tear  me  to  pieces,  then 
it  resumed  its  natural  form,  and  seemed  to 
'swell  to  the  size  of  half  a  bushel ;  and,  anon,  it 
took  some  other  strange  and  forbidding  aspect. 
I  left  my  bed,  perhaps,  a  score  of  times  that 
night  to  feel  of  this  nail  head,  in  the  endeavor 
to  convince  myself  that  it  was  not  what  it 
seemed  to  be  ;  but  it  was  useless. 

Very  .slowly  I  recovered  from  the  effects  of 
my  terrible  debauch,  and  from  my  severe  and 
prolonged  attack  of  delirium  tremens,  which 
had  well-nigh  proved  fatal.  Strange  to  say, 
the  fearful  warning  I  received  had  but  little 
effect  upon  me.  For  a  time,  I  was  compara- 
tively temperate,  but  before  long  I  was  again 
indulging  the  degraded  appetite,  which  had  so 
long  held  me  in  its  power. 

In  1877, 1  visited  the  races,  at  Grand  Rapids, 
Jackson,  Detroit,  Cleveland,  and  other  points. 
I  reached  Detroit  in  company  with  a  seedy 
looking  gang  of  sports,  and  we  all  registered  at 
the  Gaffnet  House ;  I  was  then  in  funds,  and 
paid  five  dollars,  in  advance,  for  board.  The 
most  of  my  companions,  however,  were  penni- 
less, and  the  landlord,  whose  name  the  hotel 
bore,  took  one  look  at  them,  went  up  stairs,  and 
died.  It  was  said  that  he  died  of  apoplexy, 
6 


124  Mason  Long: 

but  I  always  imagined  that  the  shabby  appear- 
ance of  his  new  guests  was  the  main  cause  of 
his  sudden  taking  off. 

The  races  proved  a  failure  on  account  of  the 
restrictions  placed  upon  gambling,  and  the 
sports  failed  to  make  a  raise.  Upon  the  day  of 
Mr.  Gaffnet's  funeral  they  followed  his  remains 
out  of  the  hotel,  valises  in  hand,  being  the  prin- 
cipal mourners,  and  taking  the  first  boat,  hastily 
crossed  into  Canada.  I  also  went  into  Her 
Majesty's  dominions,  and  passed  a  few  days 
with  a  congenial  party,  at  a  small  place  called 
Brandenburg,  where  we  indulged  freely  in 
white  wheat  whisky.  I  then  proceeded  to 
Cleveland,  and  feeling  the  premonitory  symp- 
toms of  delirium,  I  sobered  up,  and  swore  a 
solemn  oath  to  drink  no  more.  But,  notwith- 
standing this  vow,  in  less  than  twenty-four 
hours  after  my  arrival  in  Cleveland,  I  was 
beastly  drunk.  I  made  a  winning  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  dollars,  and  remained 
there  two  weeks,  waiting  for  the  races,  during 
which  time  I  drank  freely.  When  I  arrived 
home,  in  August,  1877, 1  was  exhausted,  penni- 
less, discouraged,  and  again  on  the  verge  of 
delirium  tremens.  That  was  my  last  experience 
in  "  following  the  trotters." 


Converted  G-amller.  125 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  VARIOUS  PHASES  OF  GAMBLING-GOOD  AND  BAD  QUAL- 
ITIES OF  THE  GENUINE  SPORTING  MAN  — PREVALENCE 
OF  THE  VICE  AMONG  BUSINESS  MEN- THE  MISERY  AND 
RUIN  IT  CAUSES -A  FEW  WORDS  TO  THE  SPORTING 
FRATERNITY. 

My  fifteen  years  experience  as  a  gambler 
gave  me,  I  think,  a  pretty  thorough  knowledge 
of  sporting  men,  and  a  clear  insight  into  their 
characters,  habits,  and  modes  of  life.  The 
world  at  large  really  knows  very  little  about 
the  men  who  gain  a  livelihood  by  "  bucking  the 
tiger,"  and  a  few  words  concerning  them  will 
not,  I  fancy,  prove  either  uninteresting  or 
superfluous. 

Gambling  is,  I  have  somewhere  said,  a  trade 
which  can  only  be  mastered  by  careful  study, 
long  practice,  and  keen  observation.  In  this, 
as  in  everything  else,  experience  is  the  best, 
if  at  the  same  time  the  dearest,  teacher.  The 
young  gambler  finds  no  one  to  instruct  him  in 
the  mysteries  of  the  calling  which  he  has 
chosen.  He  learns  his  lessons  one  by  one,  as  I 
learned  mine,  at  the  cost  of  many  severe  losses ; 
and  however  long  he  may  follow  the  seductive 
but  evil  pursuit  which  he  has  embraced,  he 


126  Mason  Long: 

will  never  be  able   to  truthfully  say  that  he 
understands -it  thoroughly. 

Let  me  present,  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
reader,  a  picture  of  the  typical  gambler.  He 
finds,  upon  entering  the  fraternity,  that  it  has 
its  own  code  of  morals,  to  which  he  must 
adhere  rigorously,  if  he  would  enjoy  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  members.  Sporting  men 
are,  in  a  certain  sense,  detached  from  the  out- 
side world.  They  follow  a  vocation  which  the 
public  very  properly  holds  to  be  immoral,  and 
which  the  laws  of  all  civilized  States  forbid, 
but  which,  by  its  professors,  is  believed  to  be 
entirelylegitimate  and  honorable.  They  demand 
of  each  other  a  strict  adherence  to  a  certain 
standard,  which,  however  false  and  pernicious 
it  may  be,  is  by  them  regarded  as  an  infallible 
test  of  manhood  and  decency.  A  gambler,  to 
be  successful,  and  well  regarded  by  his  asso- 
ciates, must  be  possessed  of  iron  nerve ;  must 
accept  the  successes  and  reverses  of  fortune 
with  equal  imperturbability ;  must  be  generous 
and  extravagant  to  an  excessive  degree ;  and 
must,  above  all,  keep  his  word  beyond  suspicion. 
These  requirements  are  imperative,  and  the 
so-called  gambler  who  fails  to  comply  with 
them  is  without  standing  or  influence  among 
his  fellows..  A  miser,  a  liar,  and  a.  man  without 
nerve  and  grit,  who  "  kicks  "  at  every  reverse 
of  fortune,  is  but  poorly  regarded  among  sport- 


Converted  Gambler.  127 

ing  men,  and  is  treated  by  them  with  the 
utmost  coldness  and  indifference. 

There  are  perhaps  other  essentials  in  the 
character  of  a  successful  and  popular  gambler, 
but  the  ones  I  have  named  are  the  most  impor- 
tant. This  will  be  the  testimony  of  every  man 
who  knows  any  thing  whatever  of  the  subject. 

The  gambler  who  has  no  nerve  is  a  pro- 
nounced failure  from  the  beginning.  He  will 
never  accomplish  any  thing,  and  might  as  well 
recognize  it  from  the  start.  The  experienced 
sporting  man  will  sit  down  at  the  table  and  win 
or  lose  thousands  of  dollars  without  changing 
expression  or  uttering  a  single  exclamation. 
The  very  heaviest  games  —  those  in  which 
large  fortunes  are  risked  upon  the  turn  of  a 
card,  and  in  which  men  are  enriched  or  beggared 
in  a  single  evening — are  conducted  with  the 
utmost  decorum  and  amidst  the  most  profound 
silence.  A  man  enters  the  room,  seats  himself 
at  a  table,  and  maj^hap  places  all  his  worldly 
wealth  upon  a  card.  The  turn  is  made;  he 
loses,  and  withdraws  from  the  game  as  quietly, 
and  apparently  as  unconcerned,  as  if  he  had 
been  but  a  disinterested  spectator. 

Again,  he  lays  down  an  insignificant  sum, 
and  rises  in  a  short  time  the  possessor  of  thou- 
sands ;  his  demeanor  is  as  impassive,  his 
countenance  as  imperturbable,  as  before.  The 
gambler,  however  deeply  he  may  feel  his  loss, 


128  Mason  Long: 

or  however  much  elated  he  may  be  with  his 
winning,  must  not  in  any  way  give  vent  to  his 
emotions  in  a  gaming  room,  or  he  will  speedily 
lose  caste  and  be  pronounced  a  "  dogan." 

This  so-called  nerve  leads  to  a  certain  reck- 
lessness or  foolhardiness,  which  always  charac- 
terizes a  genuine  sporting  man.  I  have  already 
illustrated  this  quality  by  several  marked 
instances,  among  them  that  of  the  men  who 
played  with  such  coolness  and  passiveness 
while  on  the  skirmish  line,  with  bullets  whist- 
ling past  their  ears,  and  occasionally  killing  or 
wounding  a  comrade;  and  also  that  of  the 
indomitable  players  who,  with  an  adjoining 
building  in  flames,  and  terrific  explosions 
taking  place  in  their  immediate  vicinity,  sat  at 
the  faro  table  with  as  much  calmness  as  they 
would  eat  their  dinner.  Of  course  such 
instances  are,  in  a  large  degree,  to  be  attributed 
to  the  terrible  fascination  which  gaming  has 
for  its  votaries,  of  the  strength  of  which  no  one 
who  has  not  fallen  within  its  power  can  form 
the  most  feeble  conception  ;  but  it  is  also  par- 
ticularly to  be  ascribed  to  the  quality  of  nerve 
which  is  so  characteristic  of  a  genuine  sport, 
and  which  his  avocation  naturally  inspires. 

The  recklessness  which  makes  a  gambler 
"lose  his  pile"  without  whimpering,  or  coolly 
"buck  the  tiger"  in  a  burning  building,  also 
makes  him  improvident,  careless  of  the  future, 


Converted  Gambler.  129 

and  lavishly  extravagant  with  his  money,  when 
he  has  any.  There  is  no  class  of  men  in  the 
world  who  spend  money  so  freely  and  so  fool- 
ishly as  sporting  men.  They  stop  at  the  most 
expensive  hotels ;  travel  in  the  most  princely 
style ;  wear  the  finest  clothing  and  most  valua- 
ble jewelry ;  drive  the  fastest  horses  ;  smoke 
the  most  costly  cigars,  and  drink  the  rarest  of 
wines.  There  is  no  luxury  which  a  gambler 
will  not  enjoy  if  he  has,  or  can  get,  the  money 
to  pay  for  it.  He  will  spend  his  last  dollar  for 
a  superfluous  article  as  freely  and  thoughtlessly 
as  if  he  had  a  million  of  them  in  bank;  and 
his  motto  seems  to  be,  "  Eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry,  for  to-morrow  ye  die." 

The  gambler  becomes  a  spendthrift,  not  only 
from  inclination,  but  also  because  of  the  habits 
of  those  with  whom  he  associates,  and  because 
they  demand  that  he  should  be.  It  matters 
not  how  saving  or  frugal  he  may  naturally  be,  he 
must  squander  his  money  recklessly,  or  his  rep- 
utation will  fall  below  par.  Therefore,  in 
order  to  get  the  name,  he  will  spend  his  money 
in  a  silly  way  and  in  the  most  ostentatious  man- 
ner, however  hard  it  may  be  for  him  to  do. 

In  order  to  maintain  his  reputation,  the  av- 
erage sport  will  do  many  extremely  silly  things. 
I  remember  pawning  my  overcoat  in  the  dead  of 
winter  for  less  than  one-third  of  its  value,  and 
out  of  the  proceeds  paying  one  dollar  ^,nd  fifty 


130  Mason  Long : 

cents  for  a  dinner,  and  topping  off  with  a 
twenty-five  cent  cigar.  The  sport  thinks  noth- 
ing of  spending  several  dollars  over  a  bar 
"  treating"  a  crowd,  in  order  to  "  keep  up  his 
'  rep.' "  when  he  has  to  step  out  shortly  afterward 
and  borrow  a  few  cents  with  which  to  buy  a 
beefsteak  for  his  family — that  is,  if  they  get 
any,  which  is  very  doubtful. 

In  cities  where  there  is  much  gambling  and 
many  sports,  retail  trade  is  always  brisk,  in 
many  departments.  The  gamesters  scatter 
their  money  lavishly  about,  and  their  patron- 
age puts  thousands  of  dollars  into  the  pockets 
of  tradesmen.  Among  the  institutions  which 
invariably  flourish  where  gamblers  abound,  are 
saloons  and  pawnbroker  shops.  Of  course  they 
are  liberal  patrons  of  the  former,  and  a  very 
large  proportion  of  their  winnings  finds  its  way 
over  the  bar.  Of  the  pawnbroker's  shops,  they 
are  regular  customers,  and  in  them  they  are 
fleeced  most  unmercifully.  They  rarely  obtain 
one-third  the  value  of  the  article  which  they 
pledge.  In  a  majority  of.  instances,  they  are 
unable  to  redeem  them  at  the  specified  time, 
and  thus  for  a  small  sum,  they  lose  a  watch  or  a 
diamond  which  cost  them  a  handsome  amount. 
Even  if  they  make  redemption,  they  have  to 
pay  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  per  cent,  interest,  and  in  either  case 
they  are»  thoroughly  "  done  for." 


^Converted  Gambler.  131 

A  large  majority  of  sporting  men,  although 
apparently  callous  and  hardened,  are,  in  truth, 
kind  hearted  and  charitable  to  a  remarkable 
degree.  They  rarely  refuse  to  extend  relief  in 
a  case  of  distress,  if  they  have  any  means,  and 
I  have  seen  many  sports  give  up  their  last  dol- 
lar to  help  some  poor  unfortunate  person  out 
of  difficulty.  They  are  also  liberal  donors  to 
benevolent  and  charitable  institutions.  I  my- 
self, when  in  the  midst  of  my  depraved  career, 
have  given  goodly  sums  to  churches  which  I 
never  expected  to  enter,  and  a  great  many  of 
my  associates  did  likewise.  I  do  not  ascribe 
these  acts  altogether  to  goodness  of  heart. 
They  are  performed  from  a  variety  of  motives. 
The  gambler,  being  careless  of  money,  is  apt  to 
give  it  away  as  freely  as  he  would  expend  it 
for  some  superfluous  article.  He  frequently 
contributes  to  benevolent  objects  in  order  to 
gain  friends  and  acquaintances  among  busi- 
ness men,  some  of  whom  he  hopes  may  visit 
his  establishment.  These  investments,  may, 
he  hopes,  tend  to  remove  the  prejudice  existing 
against  him  and  his  calling,  and  save  him  from 
prosecution.  Sometimes  I  think  these  acts  are 
performed  as  a  kind  of  conscience  offering,  and 
that  the  sporting  man  believes  such  deeds  may 
atone  in  some  way  for  his  wicked  life. 

There  is  a  certain  code  of  honor — so-called — 
which  prevails  among  the  gambling  fraternity, 
6* 


132  Mason  Long: 

and  to  which  every  member  must  adhere, 
under  penalty  of  losing  his  popularity  and 
standing.  This  code  is  based  upon  a  false 
standard,  and  I  couldn't  recommend  it  to  so- 
ciety or  the  world  at  large,  but  such  as  it  is,  it 
is  strictly  observed  by  every  man  who  is  recog- 
nized as  a  genuine  sport.  It  requires  the  most 
rigid  adherence  to  one's  word  in  every  instance. 
All  a  gambler  has  to  rely  upon  is  his  word,  and 
when  he  becomes  known  as  a  liar  or  a  betrayer 
of  confidence,  he  is  regarded,  not  as  a  gambler, 
but  as  a  common  .thief.  Wherever  he  may  go, 
he  will  find  that  his  reputation  has  preceded 
him.  He  is  a  "marked  man"  and  will  obtain 
no  recognition  or  confidence  at  the  hands  of 
professionals.  I  can  truthfully  say,  after  all 
my  experience  among  this  class  of  people,  that 
I  would  as  readily  take  the  word  of  a  regular 
sporting  man  on  a  business  transaction  as  that 
of  any  person  in  the  community.  I  know  men 
in  this  business  who  stand  so  well  that  they 
receive  a  salary  of  twenty  to  forty  dollars  per 
day,  and  are  trusted  with  the  possession  of 
many  thousands  of  dollars. 

The  gambler  looks  upon  his  occupation  as 
perfectly  legitimate,  and  believes  it  is  con- 
ducted as  honorably  as  are  most  branches  of 
business  which  the  law  recognizes.  There  is 
some  truth  in  this  theory.  I  believe  there  is  as 
much  gambling  done  in  our  boards  of  trade  and 


Converted  G-amUer.  133 

produce  exchanges  as  at  faro  banks  and  poker 
rooms,  and  I  fail  to  see  the  distinction  between 
betting  on  the  price  of  corn  or  on  the  turn  of  a 
card.  That  one  is  wrong,  does  not,  however, 
excuse  the  other.  I  believe  that  neither  is 
right,  and  that  Christian  people  should  con- 
demn them  both. 

Gamblers  regard  it  as  perfectly  legitimate  to 
take  advantage  of  each  other  at  play  in  any  pos- 
sible way,  unless  it  involves  a  betrayal  of  confi- 
dence. This  is  held  to  be  a  part  of  the  trade, 
and  the  sports  believe  that  no  man  has  any 
business  to  play  unless  he  has  mastered  his 
trade.  This  is  the  work  of  a  lifetime,  and  the 
veterans  in  the  craft  not  infrequently  find 
themselves  beaten  by  schemes  and  devices 
which  are  intended  for  amateurs.  This  being 
the  case,  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  the  busi- 
ness man,  or  the  occasional  player,  has  a  poor 
chance  to  win  in  the  majority  of  games.  If  I 
were  to  advise  this  class  of  men  to  play  at  all, 
I  would  say :  Enter  some  game  with  the  most 
thorough  and  skillful  gamblers — men  who  know 
enougli  to  protect  themselves — and  the  chances 
are  that  the  game  will  be  on  the  square,  and 
that  you  will  stand  an  even  chance  of  winning, 
if  you  use  the  necessciry  amount  of  judgment. 
There  are  plenty  of  such  games  played,  but  the 
difficulty  for  amateurs  is  to  know  where  they 
are  to  be  found. 


134  Mason  Long: 

I  have,  I  think,  done  full  justice  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  true  sporting  man."  I  have  given 
due  weight  to  the  good  qualities  by  which  he 
is  usually  characterized,  and  which  are  not 
properly  appreciated  by  the  world  at  large. 
The  reason  for  this  is,  that  there  are  many  men 
who  claim  to  be  sports  when  they  have  no  right 
to  the  appellation. 

The  public  classes  gamblers  in  the  same  cate- 
gory as  thieves  and  murderers,  principally 
because  so  many  of  the  riff-raff  and  scum  of 
humanity  advertise  themselves  as  sporting  men. 
They  do  this  mainly  in  order  to  shiel^.  them- 
selves from  the  penalties  of  the  law,  which 
would  otherwise  be  visited  upon  them;  and  by 
their  actions  they  compel  gamblers  to  bear  a 
greater  weight  of  odium  than  is  their  due. 
These  fellows/  in  many  instances,  have  started 
out  as  gamblers,  but  by  reason  of  their  dishon- 
esty, falsehood,  and  betrayals  of  confidence, 
have  been  dropped  from  the  ranks,  and  be- 
come ordinary  thieves  and  loafers.  They  hang 
around  gambling  rooms  as  much  as  possible, 
and  are  always  ready  to  do  any  thing  low  or 
mean.  They  rarely  have  money  enough  to  sit 
in  a  gambler's  game,  and  when  they  do  are 
easily  beaten.  They  give  their  word  when  they 
know  they  can  not  keep  it  good ;  they  "  rope  in  " 
business  men  and  strangers,  and  for  a  small 
sum  profess  to  give  them  "  points,"  which  fre- 


Converted  Gambler.  135 

quently  makes  them  suspicious,  and  drives 
them  from  the  room.  They  finally  become 
"  crabbers,"  that  is,  men  who  steal  a  stake 
from  the  table  when  the  owner's  back  is  turned, 
and  who  would  not  hesitate  to  pick  a  pocket, 
or  to  commit  any  crime  whatever.  These  fel- 
lows claim  to  be  gamblers,  and  are  so  classed 
by  the  press  and  the  public,  and  the  genuine 
sports  are  held  responsible  for  their  shortcom- 
ings. Truth  compels  me  to  say  that  there  are 
a  hundred  of  this  class  of  men  in  the  country 
where  there  are  ten  true  sports ;  that  the  pro- 
portion is  increasing  every  year,  and  that  the 
business  of  gambling  is  becoming  more  and 
more  degraded,  and  rapidly  being  shorn  of  its 
few  redeeming  features.  These  thieves  are 
ruining  the  sport  at  horse  races,  as  well  as  at 
the  gaining  rooms,  and  through  their  conduct 
the  sporting  profession  is  becoming  more  dis- 
reputable than  ever. 

Probably  few  of  my  readers  have  any  idea 
how  many  business  men  are  addicted  to  gam- 
bling. The  heads  of  large  mercantile  houses, 
the  jobber,  the  merchant,  the  importer,  and  the 
banker,  as  well  as  the  small  tradesman,  and  the 
employe",  are  frequently  to  be  found  sitting 
around  the  gaming  table.  Gamblers  use  their 
utmost  efforts  to  secure  visits  from  this  class  of 
men  ;  for  sports  realize  that  they  can  not  earn  a 
living  from  each  other,  but  that  they  must  draw 


136  Mason  Long: 

from  producers,  and  those  who  amass  money 
by  legitimate  means.  It  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say  that,  with  hardly  an  exception,  the  busi- 
ness man  gets  the  worst  of  it,  in  "  bucking  the 
tiger."  I  can  truthfully  say  that  in  all  my 
experience,  I  never  have  known  one  of  this 
class  who  was  not  worse  off,  by  reason  of  play- 
ing, while  I  have  known  scores  of  them  to  be 
ruined  financially,  morally,  and  physically,  by  an 
indulgence  of  their  gambling  propensities.  It 
is  obvious  that  such  should  be  the  case.  When 
men  who  devote  their  whole  time  and  atten- 
tion to  sporting,  can  not  master  its  details,  howi 
can  the  man  do  so  who  plays  in  his  leisure 
hours  for  amusement?  It  is  singular  to  me 
that  men  of  fine  business  capacity,  sound  judg- 
ment, good  common  sense,  high  social  stand- 
ing, and  frequently,  I  regret  to  say,  of  religious 
professions,  will  allow  themselves  to  be  so 
deeply  fascinated  by  the  allurements  of  the 
card  table,  that  they  will  sacrifice  time,  money, 
health,  position,  character,  everything,  to  its 
never-ceasing  demands. 

I  can  look  back  to  the  year  1865,  and  recall 
many  men  who  were  then  in  prosperous  circum- 
stances, doing  a  lucrative  business,  occupying 
a  fine  social  pos'ition,  who  have  since  gone  to 
their  ruin,  by  reason  of  gambling.  Many  once 
happy  and  comfortable  families  have  been 
reduced  to  want  and  beggary,  because  he  who 


Converted  G-ambler.  137 

should  have  made  provision  for  them,  has  sac- 
rificed their  future  welfare,  as  well  as  his  own 
position  and  prospects,  to  his  insane  and  sense- 
less passion  for  the  card  table. 

The  business  man  who  seeks  the  gaming 
room  for  recreation,  often  falls  into  the  hands 
of  the  class  of  thieves  to  whom  I  have  referred, 
and  who  undertake  to  post  him  for  a  "  consid- 
eration." After  a  course  of  instruction  the 
amateur  imagines  that  he  knows  all  the  mys- 
teries of  faro  and  poker  ;  but  a  few  heavy  los- 
ings convince  him  to  the  contrary.  He 
attempts  to  recover  what  he  has  sacrificed,  and 
in  so  doing  he  loses  what  he  has  left.  He  is 
speedily  reduced  from  affluence  to  poverty,  and 
from  poverty  to  absolute  want  and  beggary.  In 
the  meantime,  he  has  neglected  his  business, 
lost  his  trade,  allowed  his  notes  to  be  protested, 
his  creditors  have  closed  him  up,  his  name 
figures  in  the  bankruptcy  lists,  and  his  friends 
ascribe  his  failure  to  "  hard  times"  and  "scar- 
city of  money."  Reduced  to  this  point,  he 
hovers  around  the  place  which  has  proved  his 
ruin,  and  vainly  endeavors  to  retrieve  his  for- 
tune, where  he  has  wasted  it.  His  late  hours, 
evil  associates,  and  reverses,  lead  him  to  drink- 
ing. He  descends  the  ladder,  step  by  step, 
loses  the  friends  of  former  years,  becomes  an 
outcast,  and  a  vagrant,  and  finally  dies  a 
drunkard,  and  fills  a  pauper's  grave. 


138  Mason  Long  : 

This  is  no  fancy  sketch ;  I  have  known  many 
such  cases  as  the  above,  and  they  are  more 
numerous  than  the  public  imagines.  I  believe 
more  business  failures  result  from  gambling, 
than  from  any  other  one  cause,  and  I  hold  that 
the  business  man  who  plays,  expecting  to  win 
in  the  long  run,  is  an  idiot  who  should  be  sent 
to  an  asylum.  The  experiences  of  those  who 
have  trod  this  path,  and  observation  of  the  sad 
examples  all  about  him,  arising  from  play,  not 
to  speak  of  the  dictates  of  good  common  sense, 
should  teach  him  that  gambling  can  result  in 
nothing  but  loss  and  disappointment  and  ulti- 
mately, if  persisted  in,  complete  and  irretriev- 
able ruin. 

But  if  it  is  folly  for  a  business  or  professional 
man  to  gamble,  it  is  equally  so  for  any  person 
to  adopt  sporting  as  a  means  of  gaining  a  liveli- 
hood. The  life  of  a  gambler  is  a  hard  one.  I 
know  it  has  a  kind  of  fascination  for  thought- 
less and  reckless  young  men  who  desire  to  live 
without  work,  to  enjoy  a  career  of  "  pleasure," 
and  to  "  see  the  world,"  but  they  will  find  in 
due  time  that  there  is  no  genuine  pleasure  con- 
nected with  a  sporting  life. 

The  gambler  is  really  a  hard  worker.  He 
lives  in  defiance,  not  only  of  human,  but  also  of 
divine  laws.  He  violates,  in  his  daily  life,  the 
precepts  of  nature,  which  all  mankind  should 
follow.  He  reverses  the  established  order  and 


Converted  G ambler.  139 

turns  his  nights  into  days,  and  his  days  into 
nights.  When  more  favored  men  are  passing  the 
evenings  at  their  happy  homes  with  their  wives 
and  little  ones,  or  in  social  pleasures  or  literary 
pursuits,  the  gambler  sits  in  his  heated  room,  un- 
der the  blazing  gas  jet,  breathing  a  foul  and  pol- 
luted atmosphere,  hearing  occasionally  a  ribald 
jest  or  a  blasphemous  expression,  his  nerves 
strained  to  their  utmost  tension,  despite  the 
unchanging  expression  of  his  countenance,  and 
his  whole  nature,  moral,  mental,  and  physical, 
tainted  by  his  evil  surroundings.  And  after 
the  world  has  gone  to  rest,  and  tired  humanity 
is  seeking  "  nature's  sweet  restorer,  sleep,"  the 
gambler  is  still  at  his  table,  dealing  his  cards 
with  the  steady  monotony  of  a  machine,  his 
head  throbbing,  his  eyelids  heavy,  his  body  fe- 
verish, his  strength  exhausted.  And  at  last, 
when  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  are  seen  upon  the 
eastern  horizon,  and  the  pale,  dim  light  of  early 
morning  heralds  the  approach  of  day,  he  goes 
to  his  couch  and  seeks  rest  at  a  time  when  all 
about  him  are  awakening  from  their  slumbers. 
Call  you  this  pleasure  ?  I  call  it  hardship  and 
misery.  I  solemnly  affirm  that  in  all  the  years 
of  my  sporting  life,  I  never  enjo}red  one  mo- 
ment of  real,  genuine  happiness.  I  would  not 
exchange  one  hour  of  my  existence  since  my 
conversion,  for  all  the  years  of  my  sinful  life. 
The  gambler  varies  the  monotony  of  his  life 


140  Mason  Long: 

with  riotous  excesses  and  extravagant  indul- 
gence. His  amusements,  like  his  business,  are 
degrading  morally  and  injurious  physically. 
His  varying  fortunes  render  his  life  a  feverish 
and  unsatisfactory  one.  He  is  ostracized  from 
society,  debarred  from  the  enjoyments  of  do- 
mestic pleasures,  and  incapacitated  for  literary 
entertainment.  He  wears  out  his  existence  in 
a  few  years,  undermines  his  constitution  by  ex- 
posure and  dissipation,  is  shabbily  treated  by 
the  goddess  of  fortune  whom  he  has  wooed  so 
long,  and  dies  a  pauper  in  the  prime  of  life.  But 
one  gambler  in  a  hundred  lives  to  old  age  ;  and 
not  one  in  a  hundred  dies  the  possessor  of  any 
property.  The  career  which  to  many  looks 
so  inviting,  ends  at  last  in  shame  and  penury, 
and  the  "man  of  pleasure,"  falsely  so  called, 
is  only  a  creature  of  misery  and  sorrow. 

Where  are  the  gamblers  who  flourished  ten 
or  twelve  years  ago,  during  the  flush  times?  I 
can  recall  the  names  of  many  who,  since  that 
time,  have  gone  over  the  precipice,  dying 
in  beggary,  without  a  thought  or  hope  for  the 
future.  Kind-hearted,  genial,  whole-souled 
Tim  McCarthy,  the  champion  billiardist  of  In- 
diana, won  thousands  of  dollars  at  his 
keno  bank,  and  other  games,  and  squandered 
it  all  in  dissipation,  and  after  a  few  years  of 
reckless  drinking,  stood  up  before  a  mirror  in 
a  Chicago  saloon,  and  in  a  fit  of  despair  blew 


Converted  G-ambler.  141 

out  his  brains.  Billy  Grunauer,  ten  years  ago, 
was  the  leading  sporting  man  of  Northern  In- 
diana. He  dressed  in  the  extreme  of  fashion, 
wore  the  costliest  clothing,  and  the  rarest  dia- 
monds, smoked  imported  cigars,  drank  the 
most  expensive  wines,  and  drove  a  thousand 
dollar  team.  But  this  could  not  last,  and  poor 
Billy  was  borne  to  his  grave  a  few  months  ago 
from  the  St.  Joseph's  hospital,  where  he  had 
been  suffering  from  a  hopeless  disease  for 
months. 

For  several  years  before  his  death  he  had 
been  a  sorrowful  object  in  our  midst ;  broken 
in  health,  downcast  in  spirits,  and  without  a 
penny  out  of  all  the  thousands  he  had  won  at 
gaming,  he  saw  his  end  rapidly  approaching 
without  any  care  for  his  future  state,  or  any  hope 
of  happiness  beyond  the  grave.  The  last  time  he 
was  on  the  streets  he  took  dinner  with  me,  and 
I  asked  him  "  if  he  ever  thought  of  his  eternal 
state  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "I  guess  they  will  come 
three-a-side  over  there ;  I  have  tried  it  here  a 
long  time,  but  it  won't  work." 

He  referred,  in  this  expression,  to  his  favorite 
system  of  playing  the  bank.  In  a  few  days  he 
died,  and  but  for.  the  kindness  of  relatives  his 
burial  would  have  been  that  of  a  pauper. 

I  could  name  many  other  men  who  have  been 
regarded  as  prosperous  and  successful  gamblers, 


142  Mason  Long  : 

who  died  penniless  and  friendless.  Captain 
Phillips,  of  Toledo,  who  played  poker  for  thirty 
years,  and  whose  winnings  on  the  game  aggre- 
gated a  vast  sum,  died  in  Lima,  Ohio,  without 
enough  to  bury  him.  Joe  Bean,  of  Toledo,  the 
prize  fighter  and  gambler,  died  in  early  manhood 
under  similar  circumstances,  and  I  might  enu- 
merate such  instances  indefinitely.  I  have 
never  known  a  sporting  man  to  die  rich,  and 
the  most  of  them  have  passed  away  without 
leaving  enough  assets  to  pay  their  funeral 
expenses.  Even  John  Morrissey,  who  handled 
millions  of  dollars,  and  conducted  the  largest 
games  in  the  world,  died  insolvent;  and  when 
he  failed  who  can  hope  to  succeed  ? 

It  does  not  pay  to  be  a  gambler.  The  life  is  a 
hard  one,  but  the  death  is  still  harder.  Tli3 
years  of  the  gambler  are  few,  and  they  are  not 
happy  ones.  I  can  conceive  of  no  inducement 
for  a  man  to  enter  this  occupation.  Sporting 
men  are  drones;  what  the-  world  wants  is 
workers.  There  are  too  many  men  who  want 
to  live  without  labor.  Gaming  no  longer  offers 
the  attractions  that  it  once  did.  There  is  less 
money  in  the  country  than  there  was  ten  years 
ago,  but  the  ranks  of  the  gamblers  are  over- 
crowded. The  most  of  thein  can  not  make  a 
living  unless  they  steal,  and  hence  it  is  that 
the  fraternity  is  becoming  more  corrupt  and 
degraded  every  year.  The  times  have  changed, 


Converted  G-amUer.  143 

and  we  must  change  with  them.  The  man  who 
seeks  to  live  off  the  earnings  of  others  is  an 
enemy  to  society  and  must  be  treated  as  such. 
I  earnestly  advise  every  sporting  man  who  reads 
these  pages,  to  give  up  his  nefarious  business, 
pull  up  his  sleeves  and  go  to  work  as  I  have 
done.  It  is  no  disgrace  to  work  ;  it  is  credita- 
ble and  honorable.  If  they  don't  do  so,  the  State 
will  finally  take  steps  to  compel  them;  it  is 
only  a  question  of  time.  The  large  number  of 
sporting  men  now  in  the  country  are  a  burden  to 
society,  which  will  and  must  be  thrown  off.  I 
speak  these  words  frankly  and  soberly,  but  in 
all  kindness.  I  realize,  as  I  never  did  before, 
the  sinfulness  of  this  vice,  and  the  wrong  which 
a  man  does  himself,  his  fellow  man,  and  his 
God  by  wasting  his  existence  in  its  practice. 
I  can  see  that  its  inevitable  end  is  a  miserable 
death,  amidst  poverty  and  despair,  and  a  future 
of  suffering  and  remorse.  I  shudder  when  I 
think  of  the  fate  I  have  so  narrowly  escaped. 
I  would  that  my  words  could  reach  every  sport- 
ing man  in  America,  and  that  they  could  be 
led  to  comprehend  the  folly,  wickedness,  and 
unprofitableness  of  the  careers  they  are  leading. 


144  Mason  Long: 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

HOW  I  BECAME  A  CONVERT  TO  THE  MURPHY  CAUSE  -  SIGN- 
ING THE  PLEDGE  -  STRUGGLES  WITH  THE  DEMON  AL- 
COHOL-FINAL TRIUMPH  OVER  THE  RUM  DEVIL. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  1877,  I  arrived 
home,  after  a  tour  of  the  races,  in  a  de- 
plorable condition.  I  had  lost  all  of  my  money 
and  was  suffering  from  the  effects  of  a  pro- 
longed spree.  My  personal  debts  amounted  to 
at  least  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  I  had  no 
means  of  paying  any  portion  of  them.  Upon  my 
return  I  found  my  game  had  run  down  very 
badly,  and  the  outlook  was  certainly  a  discour- 
aging one.  The  "boys"  failed  to  visit  my 
room  as  was  their  wont,  and  when  I  inquired 
the  reason,  they  replied,  "O,  we  go  to  the  Rink 
every  evening;  all  the  fun  is  over  there  now." 
I  knew  there  was  a  temperance  movement  in 
progress  in  Fort  Wayne,  but  had  not  realized 
what  proportions  it  had  assumed.  Night  after 
night  my  rooms  were  deserted  and  it  was  impos- 
sible to  get  up  a  game.  Finally  I  concluded 
to  attend  one  of  the  meetings,  partly  to  gratify 
some  of  my  old  associates,  but  principally  from 
curiosity.  The  Rink  holds  sixteen  hundred 


Converted  Gambler.  145 

people,  and  when  I  entered  it,  I  found,  greatly 
to  my  surprise,  that  it  was  crowded  to  its  ut- 
most capacity.  I  remained  until  the  close  of 
the  meeting  and  in  spite  of  myself  was  greatly 
interested  in  the  proceedings.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  exercises  I  returned  to  my  room  in 
a  thoughtful  mood.  I  found  a  few  "  regulars  " 
gathered  there.  I  said,  "It's  no  wonder  that 
we  have  no  game  any  more,  every  body  is  at 
the  Rink.  If  this  thing  keeps  on  I  don't  know 
what  will  become  of  us."  "Neither  do  I," 
spoke  up  a  saloon  keeper,  who  seemed  greatly 
depressed  at  the  outlook.  "I  am.  not  doing 
one  third  of  the  business  I  did  a  year  ago.  If 
the  Murphys  don't  stop  pretty  soon,  I  for  one 
shall  be  ruined." 

I  thought  seriously  over  the  situation  and 
finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  perhaps  the 
movement  would  help  the  gambling  business. 
I  reasoned  that  if  men  stopped  drinking  they 
would  have  more  money  to  gamble  with,  al- 
though the  experience  I  was  having  with  my 
game  did  not  sustain  the  argument.  I  failed 
then  to  realize  that  the  two'  vices  go  together, 
and  lead  to  one  another  ;  that  the  gambler  is 
almost  invariably  a  drinker,  and  the  drinker  very 
frequently  a  gambler.  A  man  who  is  addicted 
to  drinking  is  almost  certain  to  get  to  playing, 
and  he  who  gambles  will,  sooner  or  later,  be- 
come a  drunkard. 


146  Mason  Long: 

The  next  evening  my  room  was  again  empty, 
and  impelled  by  some  power  I  did  not  compre- 
hend, but  could  not  resist,  I  again  joined  the 
crowd  and  wended  my  way  to  the  "  Old  Ark  " 
as  the  Rink  was  called.  I  found  another  large 
meeting  in  progress,  although  this  was  the 
fifth  week  of  the  series.  The  greatest  enthu- 
siasm prevailed,  and  almost  everybody  in  the 
house  looked  cheerful  and  happy.  The  gentle- 
man who  conducted  the  meeting  spoke  in  a 
very  encouraging  strain,  of  the  results.  "Dur- 
ing the  past  week,"  he  said,  "  twelve  hundred 
persons  have  signed  the  pledge  and  donned  the 
blue  ribbon,  making  thirty-five  hundred  sign- 
ers in  all  since  we  began  our  campaign."  This 
opened  my  eyes  still  wider,  and  again  I  found 
myself  inquiring,  "  What  will  the  result  be." 

Every  night  my  room  was  empty  and  my 
game  closed,  and  I  drifted  into  the  meetings  at 
the  Rink.  The  movement  was  being  conducted 
by  Rusk  and  Reddick,  two  energetic  young 
workers  from  Pittsburgh,  and  they  had  already 
been  the  agents,  under  God,  of  reclaiming  many 
of  the  most  dissipa'ted  men  in  the  city  from 
lives  of  intemperance  and  debauchery.  My 
frequent  attendance  upon  the  meetings  had 
attracted  much  attention,  and  my  motives 
were  generally  discussed  among  the  temper- 
ance people.  One  night  Mr.  Rusk  addressed 
me,  saying : 


Converted  Gambler.  147 

• 

"  I  want  you  to  sign  the  pledge."  To  say 
that  I  was  amazed,  but  feebly  describes  my 
feelings — I  was  dumbfounded.  I  looked  at  him 
closely,  for  I  had  a  curiosity  to  see  any  man 
who  had  the  effrontery  to  ask  me  to  sign  a  tem- 
perance pledge.  I  made  fun  of  him,  and  re- 
marked that  if  the  government  had  sent  me- 
out  after  pirates  I  would  have  "  tackled  him 
the  first  man."  He  laughed,  taking  my  abuse 
in  the  best  of  humor.  Finally  he  asked  my 
business. 

"  Business  ?  Well,  you  just  make  your  col- 
lection and  go  with  me  to  my  room,  and  if  I 
can  beat  aces  up  for  you — you'll  know  what  my 
business  is." 

At  this  Mr.  Rusk  smiled,  and  said  "I've 
been  there,  my  boy.  I've  gambled  and  know  all 
about  it,  as  well  as  many  other  vices.  If  you 
don't  give  it  up  you'll  find  out  in  the  long  run 
that  there  is  no  money  in  it." 

I  laughed  and  continued  to  chaff  him,  when 
he  left  me,  saying,  "  I'll  see  you  again."  He 
did  see  me  again ;  every  time  I  met  him  he 
chatted  with  me  in  a  pleasant,  good-natured 
way,  and  I  soon  learned  to  like  him.  Finally  I 
invited  him  to  my  rooms,  and  he  accepted.  He 
found  them  gorgeously  furnished,  with  hand- 
some Brussels  carpet,  elegant  sideboards,  and 
all  of  the  appurtenances  of  a  first-class  "  gam- 
bling hell."  Mr.  Rusk  did  not  play  with  me, 

7 


148  Mason  Leng  : 

but  he  evidently  understood  the  business,  and 
used  his  knowledge  to  good  advantage  in  his 
argument  with  me.  He  asked  me  if  I  would 
not  be  a  much  more  successful  gambler  if  I  did 
not  drink,  and  if  I  had  not  lost  hundreds,  perhaps 
thousands,  of  dollars  because  of  my  fondness 
for  liquor.  Of  course  I  had,  and  I  frankly  ad- 
mitted it ;  I  had  just  returned  from  a  prolonged 
spree,  having  wasted  large  winnings  in  drink. 
I  related  a  number  of  my  experiences,  and  Mr. 
Rusk  said  his  had  been  similar,  although  on  a 
smaller  scale.  We  both  agreed  that  if  I  were 
to  stop  drinking  I  would  prosper  and  make 
plenty  of  money. 

It  was  evident  that  Mr.  Rusk  understood  my 
case  perfectly.  He  did  not  try  to  force  me  to 
sign  the  pledge  against  my  will,  but  he  contin- 
ued to  meet  me  every  day  and  exchange  a  few 
words  with  me.  He  frequently  referred  to  the 
mistakes  of  his  past  life,  all  of  which  had  a  per- 
sonal application  I  could  not  fail  to  make.  I 
told  him  "  his  life  had  been  something  like  mine, 
but  that  I  had  drifted  farther  out  into  the  cur- 
rent than  he,  and  that  it  would  be  useless  for 
me  to  sign  the  pledge,  because  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  me  to  keep  it."  I  added  that  "to 
take  the  pledge  and  then  dishonor  it  would  be 
ten  times  worse  than  never  to  sign  it  at  all." 
He  agreed  with  me  in  this,  and  said  he  could 
not  respect  a  man  who  "  signed  for  fun,"  not 


Converted  Crumbier.  14§ 

intending  to  keep  his  word ;  he  was  sure,  how- 
ever, I  could  take  the  pledge  and  keep  it,  and 
he  urged  me  to  come  forward  at  the  next  meet- 
ing, take  a  bold  stand,  and  don  the  blue  ribbon ; 
he  had  no  doubt  that  I  would  honor  the  pledge 
if  I  sighed  it.  Again  I  refused ;  I  told  him  that  I 
would  not  attempt  an  impossibility  ;  I  couldn't 
stop  drinking,  and  wouldn't  try.  He  left  me, 
for  the  first  time  appearing  discouraged.  The 
next  meeting,  however,  found  me  present,  as 
usual.  I  went  with  a  friend  of  mine,  Mr. 
Charles  Reed,  a  }^oung  man  whom  I  respected  for 
his  good  habits;  although  he  never  drank  or 
gambled,  he  had  joined  the  "  Murphies,"  and 
urged  me  to  do  likewise.  I  told  him  as  I  told 
Mr.  Rusk,  that  it  was  no  use,  I  could  not  give 
up  drink.  That  evening  the  signers  came  thick 
and  fast,  and  the  enthusiasm  was  unbounded. 
After  the  exercises  were  over,  we  remained 
while  the  noble  workers  solicited  signatures, 
and  urged  the  poor  inebriates  to  emancipate 
themselves  from  their  slavery.  For  some  rea- 
son I  couldn't  leave,  and  soon  I  found  myself 
surrounded  by  a  bevy  of  ladies.  This  was  evi- 
dently a  piece  of  strategy  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Reed,  for  I  noticed  him  standing  at  a  distance, 
greatly  amused  at  my  predicament.  The  ladies 
made  a  combined  assault  upon  me,  and  insisted 
upon  my  signing  the  pledge.  J  repeated  to 
them  what  I  had  said  to  so  many  others,  that  I 


150  Mason  Long: 

could  not  keep  it;  one  of  them  said  I  must 
sign  it  if  I  had  to  stay  all  night ;  I  told  her  that  if 
I  did  as  she  asked  I  would  certainly  dishonor  the 
pledge,  and  that  I  was  determined  not  to  do. 
Meanwhile  the  crowd  about  me  was  getting 
larger  all  the  time,  and  I  noticed  I  was  becom- 
ing the  cynosure  of  all  eyes.  My  situation  was 
novel  and  embarrassing,  and  I  began  to  think 
of  some  method  of  escape.  I  had  seen  three 
years  of  hard  service  in  the  army,  and  had  been 
through  many  battles,  but  this  seemed  to  me 
the  most  trying  engagement  of  my  life.  I  had 
determined  not  to  surrender,  but  to  beat  a  mas- 
terly retreat,  and  inwardly  resolved  that  if  I 
ever  got  out  of  the  Rink  I  would  never  enter  it 
again  until  the  meetings  commenced.  But  the 
ladies  had  resolved  to  capture  me  for  the  Mur- 
phy army,  and  would  not  take  "  no  "  for  an  an- 
swer; they  entreated  me  to  embrace  the  good 
cause,  and  plied  me  with  arguments  which  were 
well  nigh  irresistible.  My  position  was  becom- 
ing momentarily  more  desperate,  and  as  a  final 
resource,  I  said:  "  Ladies,  let  me  go  to-night, 
and  I  promise  by  all  that  is  good  and  holy  that 
I  will  come  back  to-morrow  night  and  sign  the 
pledge,  and  I  will  live  up  to  it."  But  the 
ladies  didn't  believe  me,  and  really  they  had 
no  reason  to  ;  I  had  no  intention  of  keeping  my 
promise,  my  only  idea  being  to  get  out  of  the 
Rink ;  my  firm  determination  was  never  to  at- 


Converted  G-amller.  151 

tend  another  Murphy  meeting.  The  ladies 
didn't  want  to  take  my  promise,  but  a  little 
lady  who  was  in  the  group  spoke  up  and  said, 
in  her  childish  way,  "  Let  him  go,  Mamma,  he 
is  speaking  the  truth ;  he  will  come  back  to- 
morrow night  and  sign  the  pledge.  You  will, 
won't  you?"  added  the  little  one,  appealing 
to  me.  "  Of  course  I  will,"  said  I,  seeing  at 
last  a  chance  of  escape.  The  girl's  simple  faith 
in  my  word  outweighed  the  doubts  of  the  ladies, 
and  they  opened  a  way  for  me  to  pass  out.  I 
left  the  Rink  with  a  settled  purpose  never  to 
visit  it  again  while  the  meetings  continued. 

I  hastened  to  my  room,  thinking  over  the 
incidents  of  the  evening  and  congratulating 
myself  upon  my  fortunate  escape.  Thoughts 
of  the  little  girl  who  had  rescued  me,  came  to 
my  mind.  I  asked  myself,  "  Why  did  she 
believe  me,  when  in  fact  I  was  telling  a  lie." 
I  tried  to  forget  the  evening's  experience,  but 
I  could  not  do  so.  I  endeavored  to  divert  my 
mind  by  a  game  of  poker,,  but  I  was  abstracted 
and  careless,  and  in  a  few  moments  had  lost 
forty  dollars.  I  arose  and  walked  restlessly 
about  the  room.  The  angel  face  of  that  child 
was  ever  before  my  eyes,  and  her  words  were 
constantly  sounding  in  my  ears : — "  He  is  telling 
the  truth,  Mamma.  You  will  come  back,  won't 
you,  and  sign  the  pledge  ?  " 

I  put  on  my  hat,  left  my  room,  and  sought  a 


152  Mason  Long : 

saloon,  where  I  tried  to  solace  myself  with  bil- 
liards. The  attempt  was  a  failure  ;  I  could  not 
fix  my  attention  on  the  game.  I  laid  down  my 
cue  and  walked  out  into  the  street ;  I  could  not 
by  any  artifice  withdraw  my  thoughts  from  the 
one  subject  which  burdened  them,  nor  shut  out 
the  sound  of  the  little  lady's  simple  words. 
Slowly  I  walked  toward  my  rooms,  vainly 
struggling  to  compose  my  mind.  When '  I 
arrived  at  the  club  room,  the  game  was  over 
and  the  room  deserted.  I  entered  my  chamber, 
adjoining  the  gambling  hall,  and  prepared  for 
bed.  I  laid  down,  but  sleep  did  not  come  to 
my  eyelids.  I  tossed  about  feverishly,  strug- 
gling to  overcome  my  restlessness,  but  without 
result.  I  attempted  to  argue  with  myself,  but 
the  effort  was  in  vain.  I  arose  from  my  bed 
and  tried  to  relieve  the  strain  upon  my  mind 
by  reading.  It  was  o'f  no  avail.  I  read  all  the 
newspapers  in  the. room,  but  did  not  compre- 
hend one  word  in  them.  When  I  laid  them 
down  I  did  not  remember  any  thing  they  con- 
tained. Again  I  sought  my  bed,  but  my  men- 
tal unrest  continued.  I  rolled  about  in  my 
agony,  but  no  peace  came  to  me.  The  hours 
dragged  wearily  along,  and  one  subject  con- 
tinued uppermost  in  my  mind.  I  gave  up  the 
effort  to  banish  it.  Morning  at  last  came,  and 
I  rejoiced  over  the  termination  of  the  longest 
night  I  had  ever  passed.  But  daylight  brought 


Converted  Gambler.  153 

no  calm  to  my  troubled  brain.  It  was  still  in 
a  chaotic  itate,  and  the  same  words  were  ever 
present :  "  You  will  come  back  to-morrow  night 
and  sign  the  pledge,  won't  you  ?  " 

I  went  to  my  hotel,  but  scarcely  tasted  break- 
fast. Then  I  wandered  aimlessly  about  the 
streets,  and  found  the  day  I  had  so  longed  for 
to  be  even  more  dismal  than  the  dreary  night 
whose  minutes  had  seemed  hours.  My  condi- 
tion was,  in  brief,  one  of  mental  torture,  and  I 
felt  as  though  if  relief  did  not  soon  come,  I 
should  go  crazy.  That  night  I  involuntarily 
sought  the  Rink,  arriving  there  almost  as  soon 
as  it  was  lighted  up.  I  was  among  the  first 
arrivals,  and  upon  meeting  Mr.  Rusk,  I  told 
him  I  would  sign  the  pledge  at  once  if  he  would 
assure  me  that  the  newspapers  would  say 
nothing  about  it.  The  press  had,  for  many 
years,  devoted  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  me, 
and  I  feared  that,  if  the  city  journals  should 
publish  me  as  a  Murphy  convert,  I  would 
become  a  butt  for  the  ridicule  of  all  the  sports 
and  bummers  in  the  city.  I  was  among  the 
first  that  evening  to  step  forward  and  sign  the 
pledge.  As  I  affixed  my  name,  the  old  building 
fairly  shook  with  the  cheers  of  sixteen  hundred 
people.  In  a  moment  I  was  surrounded  by  a 
host  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  shook  me 
warmly  by  the  hand,  and  congratulated  me 
eartily  upon  the  step  I  had  taken.  Many  spoke 


154  Mason  Long . 

to  me,  who  had  never  before  exchanged  a  word 
with  me,  but  who  had  always  regarded  me  as 
the  concentrated  essence  of  wickedness. 

As  soon  as  I  had  signed  the  pledge  I  felt 
relieved.  A  great  weight  seemed  to  be  lifted 
from  my  soul,  and  I  left  for  my  rooms  after  the 
meeting  in  a  much  happier  frame  of  mind  than 
on  the  preceding  evening. 

The  only  thing  I  dreaded  was  newspaper 
publicity.  The  journals  of  the  city  had  devoted 
many  columns  to  me  in  connection  with  gam- 
bling, horse  racing,  and  arrests  for  various  mis- 
demeanors, and  I  disliked  to  have  my  name 
published  in  connection  with  any  thing  so  good 
and  holy  as  the  temperance  cause.  But  I  called 
to  mind  Mr.  Rusk's  assurance  on  this  score, 
and  retired  without  any  misgivings.  The  next 
morning,  upon  arising,  I  picked  up  the  Gazette 
and  discovered  to  my  amazement  a  column 
report  of  my  surrender  to  the  Murphys.  At 
this  I  was  greatly  disgusted,  and  I  at  once 
decided  to  go  and  get  drunk.  I  left  the  room 
with  that  intention,  but  I  soon  began  to  think 
of  the  many  good  people  who  had  taken  me  so 
warmly  by  the  hand  the  night  before,  and  bade 
me  God  speed.  What  would  they  think  of  me, 
should  I  thus  deliberately  and  openly  violate 
my  solemn  pledge  ?  This  was  something  strange 
for  me,  for  I  had  never  before  cared  for  the 
opinion  of  the  sober,  and  temperate,  and  reli- 


Converted  Gambler.  155 

gious  community.  I  passed  along  the  streets, 
and  the  first  persons  I  met  were  saloon  keepers. 
They  refused  to  speak  to  me,  and  I  admit  that 
I  felt  the  slight.  But  by  this  time  I  was  set- 
tled in  my  purpose  to  stick  to  the  pledge. 

My  old  companions  enjoyed  themselves  great- 
ly at  my  expense,  and  they  subjected  me  to  all 
kinds  of  ridicule.  Many  bets  were  made  upon 
the  length  of  time  I  would  abstain  from  drink- 
ing, the  limits  ranging  from  six  hours  to  ten 
days.  One  saloon  keeper  predicted  that  I 
would  hold  out  three  weeks,  and  no  longer. 
He  said  that  he  had  gauged  my  stomach,  and 
that  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  on  cold  water 
diet  I  would  be  ripe  for  a  big  drunk.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  sell  pools  on  me,  but  no 
one  would  bet  on  my  "  sticking "  more  than 
three  weeks.  I  could  have  won  every  dollar 
owned  by  the  Fort  Wayne  sports  ;  but  I  admit 
that  I  had  so  little  confidence  in  myself  that  I 
would  not  have  bet  on  thirty  days'  adherence 
to  the  Murphys.  My  associations  were  all 
with  saloon  keepers  and  gamblers.  One  of  the 
former  promised  that  if  I  kept  the  pledge  one 
year,  he  would  buy  me  a  hat.  The  year  is  now 
nearly  expired,  and  before  this  book  is  read  I 
will  be  wearing  a  new  hat  at  Jay  Phillips' 
expense. 

For  the  first  few  days  I  found  my  new  life  a 
hard  one.  I  spent  much  of  my  time  in  saloons, 

7* 


156  Mason  Long: 

playing  cards  for  the  drinks.  When  my 
companions  took  beer,  I  took  a  cigar  ;  but  the 
sight  of  the  cool,  foaming  beverage  which  I 
loved  so  well,  was  a  severe  temptation,  espe- 
cially during  those  sultry  days  in  August.  Many 
times  I  found  the  pressure  very  strong,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  surrendering,  but  something 
within  kept  me  on  the  track,  and  a  still,  small 
voice  said  to  me,  "  Stick  to  it,  Mace." 

I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  I 
remained  in  Fort  Wayne,  whisky  would  con- 
quer. I  could  not  in  safety  frequent  my  old 
places  of  resort,  and  therefore  determined  to 
attend  the  races  at  Geneseo,  111.,  and  at  the 
same  time  visit  some  relatives  living  there,  who 
are  temperance  and  religious  people.  They 
were  overjoyed  to  learn  of  the  step  I  had  taken, 
and  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome.  I  remained  at 
Geneseo  ten  days,  during  which  time  scarcely 
any  temptation  was  thrown  in  my  path.  But  I 
felt  the  old  appetite  tugging  away  at  me,  and 
the  ungratified  longing  for  liquor  caused  me 
•much  physical  and  mental  distress.  From 
Geneseo*  I  went  to  Chicago,  and  there  I  met  a 
number  of  my  old  companions,  who  were  start- 
ing out  to  "  make  a  night  of  it."  Of  course 
they  insisted  that  I  must  go  with  them,  and  I 
consented  to  join  the  party.  I  knew  I  was 
taking  a  fearful  risk,  but  I  could  not  resist  the 
invitation  of  my  former  chums.  Few  of  my 


Converted  G-amtter.  15? 

readers,  perhaps,  know  what  "making  a  night 
of  it "  in  Chicago  is.  The  term  conveys  a  good 
deal.  It  means  a  night  of  dissipation  and 
indulgence  ;  it  means  hours  spent  in  the  heated 
atmosphere  of  the  gilded  palaces  of  vice,  or 
the  luxuriant  abodes  of  sin;  it  means  a 
gratification  of  the  grossest  appetites,  and  an 
indulgence  in  the  basest  pleasures  ;  it  means 
the  robbing  of  sleep,  the  sacrifice  of  time,  the 
waste  of  money,  the  injury  to  health,  and  the 
surrender  of  good  name.  "  Making  a  night  of 
it "  has  shattered  some  of  the  greatest  intel- 
lects the  world  has  ever  know*! ;  has  blighted 
the  most  promising  careers  ;  has  wasted  the 
most  ample  fortunes ;  has  destroyed  the  happi- 
ness of  the  most  affectionate  families,  and  led 
to  misery,  and  shame,  and  death,  and  eternal 
woe.  There  are  thousands  of  young  men  who 
think  it  is  manly  to  "  make  a  night  of  it,"  but 
could  they  draw  the  lesson  from  the  shattered 
remnants  of  manhood  all  over  the  land,  could 
they  see  the  depths  of  shame  and  remorse  into 
which  the  devotee  of  the  wine  cup  is  finally 
plunged,  could  they  know  the  misery  caused 
by  the  fearful,  insatiable  craving  for  alcohol, 
could  they  hear  the  lamentations  of  the  lost 
souls,  sacrificed  through  the  infernal  love  for 
spirits,  not  all  the  lights,  and  songs,  and  music, 
and  good  fellowship  which  surround  vice  with  so 
many  attractions,  could  lure  them  from  the  only 


158  Mason  Long: 

path  which  leads  to  happiness,  both  in  this 
world  and  in  the  world  to  come. 

Well,  we  made  a  "  night  of  it "  in  Chicago.  I 
stayed  with  the  "  boys "  until  they  reeled  to 
their  beds  in  drunken  unconsciousness.  I  had 
not  violated  my  pledge,  having  alternated 
between  cigars  and  lemonade.  At  every 
"  treat "  I  had  taken  one  or  the  other ;  I  had 
smoked  several  cigars,  and  given  a  number 
away,  but  when  I  reached  my  room  I  found 
that  I  had  fifty-seven  in  my  pocket.  This  will 
give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  liquor  we  drank, 
and  the  sum  of  money  we  squandered  when 
we  "  made  a  night  of  it "  in  Chicago. 

I  was  greatly  pleased  to  think  I  had  passed 
through  this  ordeal  without  breaking  my  pledge, 
and  concluded  that  I  was  safe  for  the  future. 
The  next  morning  I  avoided  my  associates  of 
the  previous  night,  for  I  found  it  no  amusement 
to  be  with  them  unless  I  drank,  and  that  I  was 
determined.not  to  do.  I  bought  a  few  pools  on 
the  base  ball  games,  lost  as  usual,  and  then 
started  for  Fort  Wayne.  Upon  my  return,  I 
was  besieged  with  questions,  the  most  frequent 
one  being,  "  Well,  Mace,  how  many  times  were 
you  drunk  while  you  were  gone  ?"  Few  were 
ready  to  believe  me  when  I  said  that  I  had  not 
tasted  a  drop  since  I  left  home.  Some,  how- 
ever, cheered  me  with  expressions  of  confidence, 
which  encouraged  me  greatly  ;  others  —  mostly 


Converted  Q-ambler.  159 

gamblers  and  saloon  keepers  —  asserted  that  I 
was  playing  a  deep  confidence  game,  my  inten- 
tions being  to  worm  myself  into  the  confidence 
of  the  religious  people  of  the  city,  and  then 
borrow  all  the  money  I  could  and  swindle  them 
out  of  it.  A  gambler,  who  hacT  for  years  been 
my  "  partner,"  made  a  charge  of  this  kind  quite 
publicly,  and  was  rebuked  by  one  of  the  Mur- 
phy leaders,  who  said,  "  I  would  lend  Mace 
Long  two  hundred  dollars  for  a  year,  without 
security,  but  I  wouldn't  lend  you  ten  cents." 
This  gentleman  had  never  spoken  to  me, 
and  when  I  heard  of  his  kind  expression  I  was 
greatly  encouraged.  The  good  people  of  the 
city  aided  me  by  many  tokens  of  confidence 
and  expressions  of  faith  in  my  sincerity.  Each 
day  I  found  my  resolutions  stronger.  I  was 
still  keeping  a  gambling  room,  and  had  as  yet 
no  higher  ambition  than  to  abstain  from  drink- 
ing, so  as  to  make  money  at  my  illegitimate 
business.  How  I  came  to  abandon  my  old  call- 
ing and  leave  the  paths  I  had  so  long  trod  for 
pleasanter  and  purer  ones,  I  shall  endeavor  to 
tell  in  the  next  chapter. 


160  Mason  Long! 


CHAPTER    IX. 

MY  CONVERSION  TO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JESUS  CHRIST -MEN- 
TAL SUFFERINGS  WHILE  UNDER  CONVICTION -PUBLIC 
CONFESSION  OF  MY  SINS -THE  BLESSINGS  ATTENDING 
A  CHANGE  OF  HEART. 

Upon  returning  to  Fort  Wayne,  I  found  that 
the  temperance  meetings,  which  were  still  in 
progress  at  the  Rink,  had  a  stronger  attraction 
than  ever  for  me.  I  discovered  that  the  fasci- 
nations of  the  gambling  table  were  losing  their 
power,  and  I  could  take  no  interest  in  the  games 
at  my  room.  On  the  first  night  I  wernt  to  the 
Rink,  and  the  managers  insisted  that  I  should 
address  the  meeting ;  about  fifteen  hundred 
people  were  present,  and  the  ordeal  was  a  most 
trying  one.  I  pleaded  ray  "freshness,"  and 
had  no  idea  that  I  could  face  that  vast  crowd 
without  breaking  down.  But  they  kept  calling 
for  me,  and  I  finally  rose  in  my  place  and 
stated  that  I  was  unprepared  to  speak,  but 
would  make  a  few  remarks  upon  some  other 
occasion.  Mr.  Rusk  then  took  the  liberty  of 
announcing  that  I  would  speak  on  the  next 
evening,  and  at  the  same  time  stated  that  the 
number  of  signers  had  just  reached  six  thousand. 


Converted  Gambler.  161 

This  created  much  enthusiasm,  and  there  was 
more  signing  and  singing.  I  concluded  not  to 
attend  the  next  evening,  but  was  very  lone- 
some, and  my  resolution  failed  me.  I  remained 
at  my  room  until  nine  o'clock,  but  then  almost 
involuntarily  sought  the  "  Old  Ark."  Hardly 
had  I  entered  its  portals  when  I  heard  my  name 
shouted  from  all  parts  of  the  house,  and  in  a 
moment  I  found  myself  standing  upon  the 
platform,  with  fifteen  hundred  upturned  faces 
before  me,  and  fifteen  hundred  pairs  of  eyes 
gazing  intently  upon  me.  I  shook  like  an  aspen 
leaf;  my  head  fairly  swam  ;  a  cold  perspiration 
burst  out  all  over  me,  and  I  could  scarcely 
control  my  voice.  I  certainly  suffered  all  the 
tortures  of  stage  fright,  and  passed  through  an 
experience  I  never  desire  to  repeat.  But  my 
self-possession  soon  returned,  and  after  I  had 
spoken  a  few  words  I  was  comparatively  at 
ease.  I  told  them,  first  of  all,  that  I  had  been 
faithful  to  my  pledge,  taken  several  weeks 
before,  and  that  I  intended  to  adhere  to  it 
through  life.  I  also  related  how  I  began 
drinking  whisky ;  and  how  it  had  led  me  down 
from  one  depth  to  another,  drawing  me  into 
other  vices,  until  I  had  become  a  moral  wreck, 
the  mere  plaything  of  a  diabolical  appetite. 
The  next  day  my  speech  was  printed  in  full  in 
the  papers.  The  press  took  more  interest  in 
ine  than  ever,  and  chronicled  my  every  move- 


162  Mason  Long: 

ment.  I  knew  that,  under  the  circumstances, 
if  I  took  a  single  misstep,  it  would  be  heralded 
to  the  world,  and  this  made  me  more  careful, 
perhaps,  than  I  otherwise  would  have  been,  to 
adhere  to  my  promises. 

Having  broken  the  ice,  I  spoke  at  the  meet- 
ings nearly  every  night.  I  entered  into  the 
work  with  enthusiasm,  and  endeavored  to  gain 
recruits  for  the  Murphy  army.  On  the  first 
afternoon  I  secured  sixteen  signers,  among 
them  a  veteran  whisky  seller  and  whisky 
drinker,  Mr.  Arthur  Dodge.  I  was  greatly 
encouraged  with  my  success.  Mr.  Dodge  took 
hold  of  the  work  with  much  energy,  and  we 
canvassed  together,  inducing  many  old  slaves 
of  alcohol  to  don  the  blup  ribbon,  and  emanci- 
pate themselves  from  the  curse  under  which 
they  had  so  long  staggered. 

For  six  weeks  we  labored  night  and  day, 
with  unvarying  success.  Then  Messrs.  Rusk 
and  Reddick  left  us,  and  the  whisky  sellers 
concluded  that  the  storm  was  about  over,  and 
that  the  meetings  would  soon  "fizzle  out." 
But  we  did  not  allow  them  to  "  fizzle."  For 
four  weeks  we  carried  them  on  ourselves. 
Every  man  who  took  an  interest  in  the  cause 
came  to  the  front,  and  we  kept  the  enthusiasm 
constantly  up  to  the  boiling  point.  Our  army 
was  constantly  increasing,  and  it  looked  as  if 
w»  were  to  capture  the  entire  city. 


Converted  Gf-ambler.  165 

At  this  stage  of  the  movement,  Messrs.  Hal- 
lenbeck  and  Cassedy,  who  had  been  converted 
during  the  Moody-Sankey  revival  at  Chicago, 
came  among  us,  and  took  charge  of  the  meet- 
ings, conducting  them  on  the  gospel  temperance 
p]an.  Up  to  this  date  the  Murphy  movement 
had  been  carried  oh  as  a  purely  moral  effort ; 
now  the  religious  element  was  with  it,  and  the 
effect  was  good.  The  churches,  many  of  which 
had  held  aloof,  joined  in  with  us.  Hallenbeck  and 
Cassedy  remained  five  weeks,  and  were  the 
means  of  accomplishing  a  vast  amount  of  good. 
After  their  departure  the  meetings  continued 
as  usual,  under  the  management  of  a  board 
consisting  of  several  of  our  best  citizens.  The 
Hon.  Newton  Bur  well,  a  worthy  Christian  gen- 
tleman who  has  since  entered  the  ministry,  took 
the  leadership. 

Among  the  reformed  men  were  a  few  who 
objected  to  the  religious  cast  the  movement 
had  assumed.  They  organized  a  "Reformed 
Men's  Club,"  and  took  control  of  the  meetings, 
Mr.  Bur  well  and  the  ministers  retiring,  but  still 
giving  the  "boys"  their  sympathy  and  co- 
operation. An  arrangement  was  then  made  by 
which  strictly  temperance  meetings  were  held 
during  the  week,  and  a  grand  union  prayer 
meeting  every  Sunday  night.  The  interest 
deepened.  Those  who  attended  the  Murphy 
meetings  were  sure  to  find  their  way  to  the 


166        •  Mason  Long: 

"  Old  Ark  "  on  Sunday  nights.  By  this  means 
hundreds  were  brought  within  reach  of  the 
gospel,  who  had  not  heard  it  preached  for  years. 
A  deep  feeling  pervaded  the  community.  A 
great  change  was  taking  place  in  many  of  our 
reformed  men. 

They  were  beginning  to  inquire  anxiously, 
"  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  They  were 
thinking  deeply  of  their  future  state,  many  of 
them  for  the  first  time,  and  recalling  the  les- 
sons of  childhood  they  had  neglected  for  so 
many  years.  The  long  -  forgotten  Bible  was 
hunted  up,  and  its  precious  words  were  studied 
by  men  who  had  long  been  strangers  to  them  ; 
some  who  had  objected  most  strenuously  to  the 
gospel  work,  now  urged  the  propriety  of  a 
monster  revival.  We,  therefore,  sent  for  Dr. 
Earl,  of  Boston,  a  most  successful  evangelist. 
He  came  and  conducted  a  series  of  meetings 
for  three  weeks,  with  grand  results.  The  Rink 
was  crowded  every  night;  Dr.  Earl  expounded 
the  Scriptures  with  singular  power  and  elo- 
quence, and  led  many  poor  sorrowing  mortals 
into  the  way  of  salvation.  He  was  assisted  by 
the  city  pastors,  and  the  religious  people  of 
Fort  Wayne,  and  a  most  glorious  harvest  was 
reaped.  Scores  of  converts  were  made.  There 
was  a  grand  awakening  throughout  the  city. 
There  was  a  most  gracious  outpouring  of  God's 
spirit,  and  many  wayward  hearts  found  peace 


Converted  Gambler.  167 

in  believing.  As  many  as  one  hundred  and 
eighty  persons  rose  for  prayer  in  a  single  meet- 
ing. Some  of  the  most  depraved  men  in  the 
city  tasted  of  the  Bread  of  Life,  and  often 
"  those  who  came  to  scoff  remained  to  pray." 
This  revival  terminated  the  movement  proper 
in  Fort  Wayne.  The  meetings  had  been  held 
over  three  hundred  consecutive  nights,  and  ten 
thousand  and  seventeen  persons  had  signed 
the  pledge.  A  very  small  number  of  those 
who  took  the  pledge  violated  it.  A  grand,  noble, 
work  had  been  accomplished ;  those  who  had 
been  but  a  short  year  before  in  the  gutters,  or  in 
the  jails,  their  existence  a  curse  to  themselves 
and  their  families,  were  now  "  clothed,  and  in 
their  right  mind."  Employment  was  obtained  for 
them,  and  they  became  industrious  and  esteemed 
members  of  the  community.  Their  families 
found  peace  and  happiness  in  homes  long  aban- 
doned to  misery  and  despair,  and  thanked  God 
that  alcohol  no  longer  claimed  their  protectors 
among  its  victims.  A  year  ago,  many  of 
them  looked  forward  only  to  the  penitentiary, 
or  the  poor  house  ;  now,  not  a  few  cherish 
hopes  of  a  happy  future,  and  have  their  names 
enrolled  on  the  books  of  the  churches,  of  which 
they  are  attentive  and  consistent  members. 
They  have  tasted  the  "pleasures"  of  this 
world,  and  know  that  they  are  all  vanity.  They 
mourn  over  their  wasted  years,  and  realize 


168  Mason  Long  i 

what  is  charged  against  them  in  the  book  of 
judgment.  They  are  working  now  to  balance 
their  accounts  for  the  Last  Great  Day,  and  well 
know  that  the  consecration  of  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  to  purity  and  righteousness  will 
not  atone  for  the  sinfulness  and  folly  of  their 
past.  I  sometimes  thinfc:  that  these  men,  who 
have  been  redeemed  after  careers  of  wicked- 
ness and  crime,  enjoy  the  love  of  God  better 
than  the  old  followers  of  the  Cross,  who  have 
never  tasted  the  bitter  experience  which  is  sure 
to  follow  indulgence  in  the  so-called  "pleas- 
ures "  of  this  world.  Those  of  us  who  have 
been  saved,  as  if  by  fire,  and  "plucked  like 
brands  from  the  burning,"  should  strive  to  live 
very  near  to  God,  for  the  change  is  so  great,  that 
it  will  require  all  of  our  efforts  to  keep  in  the 
straight  and  narrow  path,  which  leads  to  eter- 
nal bliss.  I  shudder  when  I  think  where  I  and 
so  many  others,  who  had  drifted  far  out  into 
the  currents  of  sin,  would  be  now,  but  for 
the  glorious  temperance  movement  which  has 
swept  over  the  land,  and  snatched  us  up  just 
in  time  to  save  us  from  the  abyss  toward 
which  we  were  hastening.  I  can  recall  the 
names  of  many  poor  fellows  —  my  former  com- 
panions— who  have  gone  beyond  our  reach  to 
everlasting  ruin,  without  a  taste  of  the  blessed 
peace  and  happiness  which  have  been  so  gra- 
ciously vouchsafed  to  me.  I  feel  deeply  that 


Converted  G-amUer.  169 

there  is  a  great  field  for  work  among  those 
whom  the  world  considers  outcasts.  I  know 
that  in  every  human  being,  however  depraved, 
there  is  the  germ  of  some  good,  which  may  be 
reached  and  developed  by  prayer  and  striving, 
and  I  have  solemnly  vowed  to  consecrate  the 
rest  of  my  life  to  the  work  of  rescuing  these 
poor  unfortunate  creatures  from  the  evil  which 
surrounds  them.  I  am  endeavoring  every  day 
to  speak  the  word  which  shall  reveal  to  some 
wandering  soul  the  light  that  I  have  found,  and 
so  long  as  God  gives  me  life  and  strength,  I 
shall  persevere  in  my  chosen  work.  I  date  my 
reformation  from  the  hour  I  signed  the  tem- 
perance pledge.  Previous  to  that  time,  I  was 
greatly  addicted  to  profanity,  but  since  then 
an  oath  has  never  escaped  my  lips.  I  had 
always  mingled  with  the  dissipated,  the  de- 
praved, and  the  vicious;  but  the  Murphys 
brought  me  in  contact  with  another  and  a 
better  class  of  people.  I  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  noble  Christian  men  and  women,  who 
were  endeavoring  to  illustrate,  by  their  daily 
lives  and  conversation,  the  precepts  of  their 
blessed  Master,  and  from  them,  I  imbibed  new 
conceptions  of  life,  its  duties  and  its  realities. 
When  I  ceased  to  drink,  and  to  swear,  I  found 
it  comparatively  easy  to  discard  my  numerous 
other  vices  one  by  one.  I  enjoyed  daily  a 
visible  increase  in  jny  self  respect.  I  began  to 


170  Mason  Long: 

feel  as  if  I  were  a  «'  man  among  men."  The 
evil  habits  which  had  become  a  part  of  my 
very  being,  soon  left  me,  all  but  gambling. 
That  vice  had  an  irresistible  fascination  for  me. 
I  loved  the  game  above  everything  else  ;  I  did 
not  think  I  could  ever  give  it  up.  Besides,  my 
moral  faculties  were  so  blunted,  that  I  did  not 
think  it  was  wrong  to  gamble,  provided  it  was 
done  "  on  the  square."  I  thought  a  man  could 
be  a  professional  gambler,  and  a  respectable 
citizen  at  the  same  time,  but  I  found  out  my 
mistake  —  they  are  incompatible. 

My  nightly  attendance  at  the  temperance 
meetings  continued.  I  enjoyed  them  very 
much — in  fact  above  everything  else  in  the 
world ;  I  listened  to  the  experiences  of  the  re- 
formed men — frequently  related  with  a  remark- 
able simplicity  and  pathos ;  I  repeatedly  found 
myself  in  tears,  as  I  heard  their  sad  stories  of 
sin  and  suffering ;  Iioften  sat  in  the  Rink  and 
reflected  upon  my  past  life  until  I  was  so 
choked  with  emotion  as  not  to  be  able  to  re- 
spond when  called  upon  to  speak. 

This  feeling  was  new  to  me  and  I  could  not 
comprehend  it.  There  was  a  change  taking  place 
in  myself  which  it  puzzled  me  greatly  to  under- 
stand. For  weeks  I  was  in  this  condition.  My 
only  real  enjoyment  was  during  the  temperance 
meetings.  I  could  find  no  pleasure  at  the  gam- 
ing-table, and,  winner  or  loser,  I  always  left  it 


Converted   Gambler.  171 

in  disgust.  The  reader  can  realize  the  altera- 
tion in  me  when  he  remembers  that  for  years 
the  game  of  faro  had  cast  a  perfect  spell  over 
me  ;  that  I  had  repeatedly  played  it  for  many 
hours  at  a  time,  unable  to  leave  it  for  food  or 
sleep,  and  only  withdrawing  when  I  could  no 
longer  bear  the  physical  strain.  But  now  the 
temperance  meetings  drew  me  from  my  game 
every  evening,  and  the  gambling-room  had  be- 
come the  most  repulsive  place  on  earth  to  me. 

Sunday  is  always  the  liveliest  day  for  gam- 
blers, for  it  is  then  they  do  their  best  business. 
It  was  so  with  me,  but  since  my  moral  awaken- 
ing I  found  Sunday  the  longest  and  dullest  day 
of  the  week.  One  Sunday  morning  I  resolved 
to  attend  divine  service,  and  found  my  way  to 
the  First  Baptist  church.  The  sight  of  a 
notorious  professional  gambler  in  that  sacred 
place  startled  the  congregation,  and  every  eye 
was  turned  upon  me  as  the  usher  showed  me  to 
a  seat.  The  pastor,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  R.  Stone, 
preached  a  most  beautiful  and  effective  sermon, 
which  seemed  intended  especially  for  me.  I 
eagerly  drank  in  every  word,  and  as  the  good  man 
continued,  I  found  myself  shedding  tears  of  sor- 
row and  remorse  for  my  misspent  life.  After  the 
sermon  the  choir  sang  "  What  shall  the  harvest 
be?"  and  as  I  listened  to  the  beautiful  music, 
all  the  sins  of  my  past  life  seemed  to  pass  in 
review  before  me.  I  had  sown  the  crop,  and  I 


172  Mason  Long: 

wondered  what  my  harvest  would  be.  As  I 
was  leaving  the  church  my  eyes  rested  upon  the 
little  lady,  through  whose  kind  words  I  had 
been  led  to  sign  the  pledge.  I  thought  this  a 
happy  omen.  She  handed  me  a  Bible,  saying 
that  she  had  marked  a  lesson  for  me  to  study 
during  the  coming  week,  and  asked  if  I  would 
do  so.  I  gladly  promised  her,  and  with  the 
good  book  in  my  hand,  I  left  the  church  and 
hastened  to  my  .room.  There  I  found  a  big 
game  of  faro  in  progress,  but  I  passed  the 
players  and  went  into  my  chamber,  where  I 
began  to  study  the  Bible  which  had  been  given 
me.  Occasionally  one  of  the  gamblers  would 
come  into  the  room,  and  then  I  would  secrete 
the  book,  as  I  feared  ridicule.  I  spent  many 
hours  every  day  studying  the  word  of  God, 
and  especially  those  pages  which  had  been 
marked  for  me.  I  was  constantly  interrupted, 
and  always  hid  the  book.  One  day  I  was 
caught  fairly  and  squarely  by  one  of  the  gam- 
blers. He  was  greatly  surprised,  and  his  re- 
marks ran  about  like  this  : 

"Hallo,  what  is  that?  a  Bible?  well  I  de- 
clare, old  boy,  you're  gone,  sure.  You're  no 
longer  the  same  man  that  you  was  before  you 
signed  the  Murphy  pledge  than  any  thing  in 
the  world.  There's  no  more  fun  in  you  any 
more ;  a  fellow  [might  just  as  well  talk  to  a 
cigar  sign  as  to  try  to  get  a  word  out  of  you. 


Converted  G-amUer.  173 

You've  Bible  on  the  brain.  You'll  be  crazy  as 
a  bed-bug  in  less  than  a  month.  Drop  your 
d — d  nonsense,  Mace,  and  I'll  show  you  a  new 
thing  in  card  playing.  I'm  playing  colors  now, 
and  it  will  win  sure,  and  no  one  shall  stand  in 
with  this  but  you." 

These  words  made  no  impression  upon  my 
mind.  I  was  greatly  troubled,  but  not  about 
faro.  I  read  and  re-read  my  Bible  lesson,  and 
the  more  I  pondered  it  the  greater  became  my 
mental  anxiety.  In  despair  I  laid  down  the 
book,  went  to  the  gambling  table,  and  tried 
to  interest  myself  at  faro.  It  was  useless  ; 
the  old  charm  had  vanished ;  the  old  spell  was 
broken.  I  left  the  table  in  disgust  and  re- 
sumed my  Bible  reading,  but  could  find  no 
peace.  Night  and  day  my  torture  increased. 
Sleep  was  a  stranger  to  my  eyelids  and  the 
food,  at  every  meal,  remained  untasted  before 
me.  I  began  to  think  the  gambler  was  right 
when  he  told  me  that  I  would  go  crazy,  for  my 
faculties  seemed  to  be  shaken.  I  left  the  city, 
but  after  a  day's  absence  I  returned.  I  felt  an 
insatiable  craving  for  something,  I  knew  not 
what,  a  want  which  I  could  not  define  nor 
comprehend,  but  which  was  ever  present. 

My  condition  physically  was  almost  as  bad  as 
it  was  mentally.  I  was  weak,  restless,  and 
feverish,  and  therefore  consulted  a  physician, 
who  told  me  that  I  was  threatened  with  serious 


174  Mason  Long: 

illness,  and  prescribed  for  me.  But  his  med- 
icine did  not  reach  the  vital  spot.  Under  its 
effects  I  slept,  but  I  had  troubled  dreams,  and 
when  I  rose  I  was  neither  rested  nor  refreshed. 
For  several  days  and  nights  I  had  neither  slept 
nor  eaten.  I  was  under  conviction,  and  felt 
that  my  sins,  which  were  as  scarlet,  could  never 
be  forgiven.  I  looked  forward  to  a  life  of  woe, 
and  anxiously  inquired  of  those  I  met  what  I 
should  do. 

"  Put  your  trust  in  God,"  they  would  say. 

"But  I  do  trust  Him.  I  have  given  up 
everything,  and  tried  to  be  a  Christian ;  but  I 
can't.  I  can  find  no  peace ;  I  feel  as  if  my 
God  had  forsaken  me,  and  that  there  is  no  sal- 
vation for  such  as  I." 

My  mental  condition  was  worse  than  ever. 
I  longed  to  get  away  from  myself — to  fly  to 
some  distant  solitude,  some  trackless  forest — to 
any  place  that  I  could  find  peace.  I  frequently 
tried  to  pray,  but  the  words  seemed  to  mock 
me.  Discouraged  and  hopeless,  I  sought  my 
old  companions,  and  sought  to  be  one  of  them 
again.  It  was  useless.  Their  profane  words 
grated  on  my  ears  ;  their  coarse  jokes  and  jests 
were  intensely  painful  to  me.  The  club  room 
and  saloons  were  abominable  in  my  sight,  and 
I  avoided  them  as  much  as  possible. 

And  so  my  life  wore  on.  If  my  sins  had 
been  great,  so  had  my  sufferings.  It  would 


Converted  Gambler.  175 

take  a  genius  to  portray  my  mental  torments. 
I  realized  that  no  human  being  could  success- 
fully "  minister  to  a  mind  diseased,"  and  the 
Great  Physician  seemed  to  have  forsaken  me. 
Sometimes  I  would  rise  from  my  knees  after  a 
long  season  of  prayer,  with  a  happier  feeling 
and  with  tears  streaming  from  my  eyes.  Then 
I  would  think  that  the  Lord  had  forgiven  me, 
and  granted  me  His  blessing ;  but  when  I  went 
to  my  club  room,  the  old  feeling  of  despair 
came  back  to  me  with  redoubled  force. 

Sabbath  came  again,  and  in  company  with 
Brother  Hallenbeck  I  attended  the  Wayne 
Street  Methodist-Episcopal  church,  and  heard 
the  'pastor,  Rev.  R.  N.  McKaig,  deliver  a  ser- 
mon to  reformed  men.  The  discourse  was  an 
able  one,  and  I  enjoyed  it  very  much,  but  did 
not  get  the  relief  I  craved. 

After  leaving  the  church,  I  told  my  troubles 
to  Brother  Hallenbeck.  I  told  him  the  mental 
anguish  and  physical  exhaustion  I  was  suffer- 
ing ;  how  hard  I  was  trying  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian, and  how  useless  the  effort  seemed ;  how  I 
had  prayed  God  for  hours  at  a  time  to  forgive 
my  sins  and  grant  me  a  new  heart,  but  He  had 
denied  me  the  blessing  I  asked ;  how  for  seven 
days  I  had  neither  eaten  nor  slept,  but  had 
passed  through  the  most  fearful  experience  of 
my  life. 

Brother  Hallenbeck  listened  attentively  to 


176  Mason  Long: 

me,  and  expressed  deep  sympathy  with  me. 
He  tried  to  encourage  me,  and  said  there  was 
evidently  something  I  had  left  undone.  He 
did  not  know  what  it  was,  but  he  thought  if  I 
would  go  to  the  Rink  that  evening,  publicly 
confess  before  the  audience  that  I  was  a  great 
sinner,  and  declare  my  faith  in  Christ,  I  would 
find  peace. 

I  told  him  I  would  take  his  advice,  and 
hoped  it  would  bring  me  consolation.  I  spent 
the  afternoon  in  my  room,  trying  to  think  what 
I  would  say  at  the  Rink.  When  I  left  for  the 
meeting,  I  thought  I  knew  exactly  what  I 
would  say,  but  I  changed  my  mind  a  dozen 
times  ere  I  reached  the  building. 

I  entered  and  took  a  seat  beside  the  speak- 
ers—  Hon.  Wm.  McConnell  and  Mrs.  Jesse 
M.  Gale,  of  Angola.  There  were  about  fif- 
teen hundred  people  present,  and  two  grand 
speeches  were  made.  I  could,  however,  take 
little  interest  in  them,  for  I  felt  the  old  gnaw- 
ing at  my  soul,  and  the  old  burden  upon  my 
mind. 

When  the  speakers  had  concluded  and  the 
audience  was  about  to  disperse,  Mr.  Hallenbeck 
announced  that  I,  at  my  own  request,  would 
speak  a  few  words.  The  people  looked  sur- 
prised, and,  as  many  were  tired,  I  felt  as  if  they 
regarded  me  in  the  light  of  an  interloper. 
However,  I  hastened  to  the  rostrum,  anxious 


Converted  G-ambler.  177 

not  to  delay  the  audience,  and  longing  to  un- 
burden myself.  When  I  faced  the  vast  assem- 
blage, I  could  not  remember  a  word  that  I  had 
intended  to  say.  However,  I  found  language 
—  I  think  God  gave  it  to  me  —  and  this  is  what 
I  said, as  reported  in  the  newspapers  next  day: 
"  A  few  months  ago  I  stood  upon  this  rostrum 
and  confessed  that  I  was  a  drunkard.  Now  I 
want  to  make  another  confession,  which  is,  that 
I  am  a  great  sinner.  For  the  past  ten  days  and 
nights  I  have  not  enjoyed  one  hour's  natural 
sleep,  so  deep  is  my  conviction,  and  my  burden 
of  sin  is  so  great  that  I  can  live  this  way  no 
longer.  So  I  have  come  to  you  for  help.  Oh ! 
I  want  to  beg  the  Christian  people  of  Fort 
Wayne  to  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  find  rest.  I 
have  been  praying  all  this  time,  but  my  prayers 
are  not  answered.  I  have  been  constantly 
reading  my  Bible,  and  the  more  I  study  it  the 
greater  is  my  distress.  In  it  I  have  found  a 
passage  which  troubles  me  greatly.  It  is  this : 
'  For  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive  the 
things  done  in  the  body,  according  to  that 
he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad.' 
— (2  Corinthians  x,  5.)  These  words  continu- 
ally sounded  in  my  ears,  and  led  me  to  sum  up 
my  case  as  it  would  be  on  the  Last  Great  Day. 
I  wondered  what  good  I  had  done  in  this 
world,  and  tried  to  balance  it  against  the  evil, 


178  Mason  Long  : 

but  the  latter  sent  it  up  to  the  beam ;  the  ac- 
count would  not  balance.  I  consulted  the 
Revs.  Stone,  Moffatt,  McKaig,  McFarland,  and 
others,  and  they  kindly  advised  me.  I  told 
them  I  was  guilty,  and  I  now  plead  guilty 
before  the  Great  Judge  and  these  witnesses.  I 
am  a  poor,  miserable  sinner,  but  hope  for  God's 
mercy,  and  I  feel  that  my  dear  sainted  mother 
is  interceding  in  my  behalf." 

When  I  sat  down  I  was  in  tears,  but  I  felt 
greatly  relieved.  Many  were  weeping  in  the 
audience ;  for  indeed  the  scene  was  an 
affecting  one.  I,  who  had  been  a  professional 
gambler,  saloon  keeper,  and  drunkard;  who 
had  for  years  violated  not  only  divine  but 
human  laws ;  who  had  been  regarded  by  all  as 
a  reckless,  degraded  character ;  who  had  run 
the  gauntlet  of  sin  —  stood  up  before  fifteen 
hundred  Christian  people,  and  asked  their 
prayers  for  my  salvation.  The  spectacle  was 
certainly  an  extraordinary  one.  , 

After  my  remarks,  Dr.  Stone  was  called  upon 
to  pray  for  me.  He  said  if  there  were  others 
who,  like  me,  were  seeking  the  way  to  Christ, 
and  desired  to  be  remembered  in  the  prayer, 
they  should  stand  up.  All  over  the  house 
strong  men  rose  to  their  feet,  many  in  tears, 
and  the  seal  of  conviction  upon  their  faces.  Dr. 
Stone  prayed  for  me  and  the  other  stricken 


Converted  Gambler.  179 

souls  with  an  unction  and  fervor  which  were 
wonderful. 

The  prayer  was  a  marvel  and  every  word  of 
it  sank  deep  into  my  heart.  It  was  a  thrilling 
and  powerful  appeal  for  mercy,  and  I  shall  re- 
member it  to  my  dying  day.  I  believe  God 
heard  and  answered  it. 

I  returned  to  my  room,  fell  on  my  knees  and 
implored  God  to  hear  me  in  my  distress.  Then 
I  retired  and  laid  awake,  thinking  of  the  same 
old  subject  until  gvo  o'clock,  when  I  arose, 
turned  on  the  gas,  and  looked  about  me.  I 
stepped  into  the  club  room,  and  looked  at  the 
gambling  tables,  the  sideboard,  and  all  the  ap- 
purtenances, and  then  asked  myself,  "Why 
should  God  forgive  me  while  I  remain  in  this 
place,  where  I  have  never  done  aught  but  sin 
against  Him."  Gambling  was  my  favorite  vice, 
and  I  had  never  yet  determined  to  abandon  it. 
But  then  a  sudden  resolution  was  formed  ;  I 
took  one  last  look  at  the  gambling  room,  at  the 
faro  table,  where  I  had  played  so  often — at  the 
sideboard  from  which  I  had  repeatedly  dealt  out 
whisky  to  my  fellow  men — and  then  quit  the 
place  forever.  It  was  then  and  there  that  I 
made  the  complete  surrender  to  Christ  as 
every  one  must  do,  who  desires  to  be  saved. 

I  went  to  a  hotel,  took  a  room,  and  again 
sought  my  Maker.  In  less  than  an  hour  I  felt 
that  the  blessing  had  come  which  I  had  striven 


180  Mason  Long: 

for  so  long.  I  went  to  bed  and  the  pillow  was 
soon  wet  with  tears  which  were  streaming  from 
my  eyes — tears,  not  of  sorrow  and  remorse,  but 
of  joy  and  gladness.  I  at  once  fell  asleep  and 
enjoyed  unbroken  slumber.  The  next  morning 
I  awoke  with  a  light  heart.  The  sun  was 
shining  brightly  into  my  room  and  it  seemed 
as  if  I  had  never  seen  such  a  beautiful  morning 
before.  I  looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw  a 
clear,  cloudless  sky,  a  fit  image  of  the  condi- 
tion of  my  soul  after  so  many  days  of  anguish 
and  torture. 

I  hurried  from  the  room  to  tell  my  Christian 
friends  that  their  prayers  had  been  answered, 
and  the  verdict  had  come.  I  was  so  happy  that 
I  wanted  all  the  world  to  share  my  joy. 

I  had  at  last  found  peace,  and  truly  it  was  the 
peace  that  passeth  all  understanding.  I  was 
hopeful  of  a  bright  future  and  an  eternity  of 
bliss.  None  who  have  not  passed  through  the 
same  blessed  experience  that  I  have,  can  real- 
ize what  a  great  change  there  was  in  my  life 
and  feelings,  and  thoughts.  I  found  a  new 
charm  in  living,  a  new  beauty  in  nature,  a  new 
light  in  the  world.  I  was  cheerful  and  was 
greeted  with  an  encouraging  smile  by  all  who 
met  me.  I  consecrated  myself  to  Christ  and 
solemnly  vowed  to  devote  the  remainder  of  my 
life  to  His  service.  I  now  Wess  God  every  day 


Converted  Gambler.  181 

and  every  hour  for  His  infinite  mercy  and  good- 
ness to  me.  I  am  striving  constantly  to  bring 
other  wandering  souls  to  Him,  that  they  may, 
like  me,  find  peace  in  believing; 


182  Mason  Long: 


CHAPTER    X. 


MY  ADMISSION  INTO  THE  FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH  OF 
FORT  WAYNE  -  IMMERSION  IN  THE  PRESENCE  OF  A 
VAST  AUDIENCE -PRESS  REPORTS  OF  THE  CEREMONY. 


It  is  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  describe  the 
vast  change  that  had  taken  place  in  me  since  my 
conversion.  My  entire  being  seemed  to  have 
undergone  a  transformation,  and  my  life,  feel- 
ings, thoughts,  impulses,  and  ambitions  had  been 
completely  altered.  I  no  longer  felt  the  slight- 
est desire  to  tread  the  paths  I  had  so  long 
traveled  ;  the  so-called  pleasures  of  this  world 
had  lost  all  their  charms  for  me.  My  only 
desire  was  to  do  that  which  should  be  pleasing 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  and  bring  down  upon 
me  His  blessings,  and  approval. 

The  question  of  identifying  myself  with  some 
church,  early  presented  itself  to  my  mind,  and 
I  deliberated  over  it  carefully.  I  felt  deeply 
my  own  unworthiness,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that 
it  would  involve  an  undue  degree  of  assurance 
for  me  to  present  myself  as  a  candidate  for  pub- 
lic admission  into  the  ranks  of  God's  professed 
disciples.  In  so  doing  I  would  take  upon  myself 
vows,  the  force  and  sacredness  of  which  I  fully 


Converted  G-ambler.  183 

recognized.  What  church,  thought  I,  will  care 
to  welcome  me  to  its  folds,  until  I  bring  forth 
"  fruits  meet  for  repentance,"  and  prove  by  my 
daily  life  and  conversation,  that  I  am  entirely 
sincere  in  my  professions,  and  earnest  in  my 
declared  intentions  of  leading  a  purer  and 
nobler  life  ?  What  church  will  have  confidence 
enough  in  me  to  take  the  risk  of  my  future  being 
such  as,  not  only  not  to  dishonor  myself,  but  to 
cast  a  stigma  upon  its  name,  and  bring  reproach 
upon  the  cause  of  our  Blessed  Master  ?  These 
doubts  were  continually  arising  and  I  remained 
undecided  for  some  time  as  to  what  course  to 
pursue. 

On  the  other  hand  I  felt  a  strong  yearning 
to  enroll  my  name  upon  the  books  of  some 
congregation,  and  become  entirely  affiliated 
with  God's  people.  I  longed  to  sit  at  the 
communion  table,  and  in  company  with  old 
followers  of  the  Cross  partake  of  the  blessed 
sacrament  which  the  Savior  ordained.  I  felt 
that  if  I  obtained  a  recognized  place  in  the 
Christian  community,  I  could  enjoy  the  mani- 
fold blessings  of  religion,  as  I  could  never  do 
if  I  remained  outside  the  pale  of  the  church, 
and  I  finally  determined — despite  the  doubts 
to  which  I  have  referred  and  to  which  I  gave 
full  weight  —  to  apply  for  admission  to  the 
membership  of  some  religious  organization. 

This   conclusion   was  only  arrived   at  after 


184  Mason  Long: 

repeated  consultations  with  my  trusted  and 
beloved  spiritual  adviser,  Dr.  Stone.  He  advised 
me  to  join  some  church  promptly,  believing  it 
to  be  not  only  my  duty,  but  a  glorious  privilege 
of  which  I  should  not  hesitate  to  avail  myself. 
The  serious  step  I  had  resolved  upon  —  for  I 
fully  comprehended  its  solemnity  and  import- 
ance—  was  taken  with  prayerful  deliberation 
and  earnest  reflection.  I  realized  that  there  were 
hundreds  of  eyes  upon  me ;  that  I  was  made 
the  subject  of  much  unfriendly  comment,  carp- 
ing criticism,  and  unfavorable  prediction ;  and 
that  I  must  act  with  due  circumspection  and 
discretion.  I  studied  my  Bible  with  great  care, 
and  aimed  to  inform  myself  as  to  the  duties  and 
obligations  of  a  professing  Christian,  in  order 
to  make  sure  that  I  could  faithfully  discharge 
them.  I  was  also  in  doubt  as  to  what  denomi- 
nation I  should  select,  until  I  had  read  the 
third  chapter  of  St.  Matthew  and  the  first 
chapter  of  St.  Mark,  including  the  following 


"  And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days  that 
Jesus  came  from  Nazareth  of  Galilee,  and  was 
baptized  of  John  in  Jordan. 

"  And  straightway  coming  up  out  of  the 
water,  He  saw  the  heavens  opened,  and  the 
Spirit  like  a  dove  descending  upon  Him. 

"  And  there  came  a  voice  from  the  heavens 


Converted  Gambler.  185 

saying,  *  Thou  art  my  beloved  son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased.'  " — MARK  i.,  9, 10, 11. 

Besides  I  found  the  Apostle  Paul  in  his  Epistle 
to  the  Romans  (ch.  vi.,  4)  speaking  of  baptism 
as  "a  burial  with  Christ  into  death"  and  a 
"  rising  with  Him  "  to  newness  of  life  —  and  this 
seemed  to  settle  the  question  as  to  what  the 
ordinance  was,  in  those  days,  as  to  its  outward 
form. 

These  passages  left  no  doubt  in  my  mind  as 
to  the  course  I  should  pursue.  I  decided  to 
unite  with  the  Baptist  Church,  believing  that 
as  our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ,  had 
been  baptized  in  the  River  Jordan,  and  had 
thereby  called  out  a  blessing  from  heaven,  His 
disciple  could  not  do  better  than  to  follow  in 
His  footsteps.  I  think  that  Jesus,  by  under- 
going immersion  exhibited  a  preference  for  that 
form  of  baptism,  and  that  He  is  well  pleased 
when  His  followers  imitate  His  example  in  this 
as  in  other  respects.  I  believe  that  were  He  on 
earth  to-day,  He  would  be  a  Baptist;  and 
although  that  is  my  conviction,  I  have  the  deep- 
est love  and  sympathy  with  professing  Christians 
of  all  denominations,  and  am  ready  at  all  times 
to  extend  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  every 
human  being,  who  may  be  striving,  under  any 
name,  to  advance  the  cause  of  righteousness  and 
bring  men  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  Jesus. 


186  Mason  Long: 

I  communicated  to  Dr.  Stone  my  desire  to 
unite  with  his  church  (the  First  Baptist)  at 
which  he  seemed  highly  gratified,  although  he 
said  he  desired  me  to  act  solely  upon  my  own 
free  will  and  my  conviction  of  right  and  duty, 
and  not  through  any  partiality  toward  him  or 
by  reason  of  any  undue  influence  he  might 
possess  over  me.  I  satisfied  him  that  my  desire 
was  the  result  of  study  and  reflection,  and  on 
Friday  evening,  January  4,  1878,  I  offered 
myself  as  a  candidate  for  Christian  baptism  and 
membership  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Fort  Wayne  at  their  regular  covenant  meeting. 

What  was  expected  of  me  here  I  could  hardly 
conceive  ;  as  I  had  never  before  attended  such 
a  meeting,  and  knew  almost  nothing  of  the 
exercises  appropriate  to  such  an  occasion,  or 
the  special  significance  of  its  peculiar  name, 
much  less  the  character  and  value  of  "  The 
Covenant  Meeting." 

As  I  have  since  been  frequently  asked,  as  to 
what  sort  of  a  meeting  it  is,  and  what  is  it  like, 
perhaps  some  of  my  readers  would  be  glad  to 
have  my  description  and  estimate  of  it. 

Covenant  meetings,  so  called,  are  found,  I 
believe,  only  among  the  Baptists,  yet  they  are 
not  very  much  unlike  the  general  "  class  meet- 
ings "  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in  their  gen- 
eral character.  The  pastor  usually  presides. 
After  suitable  opening  devotional  exercises, 


Converted  Gambler.  187 

every  member  present  is  expected  to  speak, with 
more  or  less  fullness,  of  personal  religious 
experiences  during  the  previous  month  or  more, 
since  last  in  attendance  upon  such  an  occasion ; 
and  especially  to  express  each  one's  sense  of 
obligation  to  the  covenant  vows  entered  into 
at  the  time  of  being  received  into  membership  ; 
as  also  the  strength  and  heartiness  of  one's  at- 
tachment to  the  cause  of  Christ  as  a  whole  ; 
and  to  the  church  and  its  respective  member- 
ship in  particular.  In  this  line  of  thought,  and 
toward  these  aims,  all,  without  distinction  or 
exception,  are  desired  to  speak,  though  it  should 
be  but  in  the  briefest  manner.  Sometimes 
one  hundred  persons  or  more  will  "  speak  to 
the  covenant "  in  the  course  of  an  hour  and  a 
quarter.  These  brief  and  unstudied  utterances 
of  religious  experience,  sometimes  joyous  and 
at  other  times  sad  and  sorrowful,  are  almost 
always  specially  worth  hearing  ;  and  sometimes 
they  are  eminently  practical,  thoughtful,  sug- 
gestive, and  profitable  ;  and  the  pastor,  by  a 
suitable*  song,  or  scripture  passage,  or  pertinent 
remarks  interspersed,  not  only  prevents  a  mo- 
notonous weariness,  or  a  pointless,  profitless, 
sameness  of  impression,  but  gives  to  the  whole 
unity  and  variety  as  well ;  and  freshness,  vital- 
ity and  interest ;  conducing  to  increased  spirit- 
uality of  mind,  to  vigorous  growth  of  faith  ;  to 
the  strengthening  of  hope  ;  the  deepening  and 


188  Mason  Long : 

broadening  of  Christian  experience  and  the 
stronger  attachment  of  the  members  to  one  an- 
other and  to  the  church. 

The  Baptists  profess  to  take  the  Bible  as  their 
fundamental  statute  book  and  authority  for  all 
religious  belief  and  practice  in  their  several 
churches  and  their  sovereign  law  for  all  ends, 
ways,  and  courses  of  life. 

They  publish  to  the  world,  however,  a  dec- 
laration of  faith  embracing  eighteen  different 
articles,  with  ample  scriptural  authority  for  the 
same.  That  all  may  kno  w,  if  they  desire,  in  how 
many  and  what  things,  they  agree  with  other 
Christian  people  an"d  in  what  respect  they 
differ,  I  give  the  first  and  last  of  these  declar- 
ations : 

"  I. — OF  THE  SCRIPTURES. 

"We  believe  that  the  Holy  Bible  was  written 
by  men  divinely  inspired,  and  is  a  perfect  treas- 
ure of  heavenly  instruction ;  that  it  has  God 
for  its  author,  salvation  for  its  end,  and  truth 
without  any  mixture  of  error  for  its  matter  ; 
that  it  reveals  the  principles  by  which  God  will 
judge  us ;  and  therefore  is,  and  shall  remain  to 
the  end  of  the  world,  the  center  of  Christian 
union,  and  the  supreme  standard  by  which  all 
human  conduct,  creeds,  and  opinions  should  be 
tried." 


Converted  Cf-ambler.  189 

"  XVIII. — OF   THE  WOELD  TO   COME. 

"  We  believe  that  the  end  of  the  world  is  ap- 
proaching ;  that  at  the  last  day  Christ  will 
descend  from  heaven,  and  raise  the  dead  from 
the  grave  to  final  retribution;  that  a  solemn 
separation  will  then  take  place  ;  that  the  wicked 
will  be  adjudged  to  endless  punishment,  and 
the  righteous  to  endless  joy,  and  that  this 
judgment  will  fix  forever  the  final  state  of  men 
in  heaven  or  hell,  on  principles  of  righteous- 
ness." 

In  addition  to  this  declaration  of  faith,  they 
have,  of  course,  certain  by-laws  and  rules  of 
order  for  the  proper  transaction  of  business, 
such  as  no  one  can  object  to,  and  also  the  fol- 
lowing "  covenant,"  to  which  every  person 
joining  the  church  is  required  to  give  his  or 
her  solemn  pledge. 

CHTJRQH  COVENANT. 

"  Having  been  led,  as  we  believe,  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  to  receive  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
as  our  Savior,  and  on  the  profession  of  our 
faith,  having  been  baptized  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
we  do  now,  in  the  presence  of  God,  angels, 
and  this  assembly,  most  solemnly  and  joyfully 


190  Mason  Long: 

enter  into  covenant  with  one  another,  as  one 
body  in  Christ. 

"We  engage,  therefore,  by  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  walk  together  in  Christian 
love;  to  strive  for  the  advancement  of  this 
church  in  knowledge,  holiness,  and  com- 
fort ;  to  promote  its  prosperity  and  spirituality ; 
to  sustain  its  worship,  ordinances,  discipline, 
and  doctrines ;  to  contribute  cheerfully  and 
regularly  to  the  support  of  the  ministry,  the 
expenses  of  the  church,  the  relief  of  the  poor, 
and  the  spread  of  the  gospel  through  all 
nations. 

**  We  also  engage  to  maintain  family  and 
secret  devotions;  to  religiously  educate  our 
children  ;  to  seek  the  salvation  of  our  kin- 
dred and  acquaintances  ;  to  walk  circumspectly 
in  the  world ;  to  be  just  in  our  dealings,  faith- 
ful in  our  engagements,  and  exemplary  in  our 
deportment ;  to  avoid  all  tattling,  back-biting, 
and  excessive  anger ;  to  abstain  from  the  sale 
and  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  as  a  beverage,- 
and  to  be  zealous  in  our  efforts  to  advance  the 
kingdom  of  our  Savior. 

"  We  further  engage  to  watch  over  one 
another  in  brotherly  love ;  to  remember  each 
other  in  prayer  ;  to  aid  each  other  in  sickness 
and  distress ;  to  cultivate  Christian  sympathy 
in  feeling  and  courtesy  of  speech ;  to  be  slow 
to  take  offense,  but  always  ready  for  reconcili- 


Converted  Gambler.  191 

ation,  and  mindful  of  the  rules  of  our  Savior, 
to  secure  it  without  delay. 

"  We  moreover  engage,  that  when  we  remove 
from  this  place,  we  will  as  soon  as  possible 
unite  with  some  other  church,  where  we  can 
carry  out  the  spirit  of  this  covenant,  and  the 
principles  of  God's  word." 

It  will  be  at  once  perceived  that  every  mem- 
ber of  any  Baptist  Church  professes,  and  is  be- 
lieved to  be  a  spiritually  renewed  person— re- 
generated or  "  born  again"  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
— fully  resolved  and  determined,  by  the  help 
and  grace  of  God,  to  live  an  upright,  honest, 
pure,  and  consistent  Christian  life — every  one 
being  also  most  solemnly  "pledged  to  total  ab- 
stination  from  all  intoxicating  drinks  as  a  bever- 
age" both  as  to  the  sale  and  personal  use — and  in 
all  things  determined  with  full  purpose  of  heart 
to  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Savior,  and 
so  to  glorify  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  and  to  "  save  the 
perishing"  as  best  they  can.  Their  professions 
and  aims  are  good.  May  their  endeavors  and 
their  outward  lives  be  always  found  to  corre- 
spond. 

It  was  after  reading  this  "  church  covenant" 
and  all  the  members  present,  perhaps  forty  or 
fifty  in  all,  had  spoken,  that  the  pastor,  Dr. 
Stone,  asked  me  if  I  desired  to  present  myself 
for  membership.  Upon  signifying  my  wish  to 
be  a  member  among  them,  I  was  asked  to  tell 


192  Mason  Long: 

the  church  in  my  own  way,  the  dealings  of  God 
with  my  soul,  especially  as  to  my  change  of 
heart  and  life,  my  new  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings, my  purposes  and  aims,  my  spirit,  my 
hopes,  my  faith,  my  knowledge  of  God  and 
the  way  of  salvation  from  the  power,  the  love, 
the  dominion  and  the  condemnation  of  sin. 
With  great  hesitancy  and  much  trembling  and 
self  distrust,  I  told  them  as  best  I  could — under 
the  circumstances — the  substance  of  what  I 
have  sincerely  written  out  for  this  little  book, 
found  in  Chapter  nine.  It  was,  of  course,  not 
so  conveniently  put  together  at  the  time — and 
some  of  it  came  out  by  question  and  answer ; 
but  I  have  already  given  you  the  essential  sub- 
stance of  what,  at  that  time,  I  tried  to  say 
briefly. 

I  then  related  my  Christian  experience, 
told  how  I  had  been  led,  as  I  firmly  believed, 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  receive  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  as  my  Savior,  how  the  change  of  heart 
for  which  I  had  prayed,  came  to  me  in  the 
night,  only  after  I  had  made  a  complete  sur- 
render of  my  worldly  vices,  and  bade  farewell 
to  the  gambling  table  forever,  how  I  had  drawn 
the  bolt  of  the  door  of  my  soul,  where  the  Mas- 
ter had  been  rapping  for  admission  so  many 
years,  but  in  vain,  how  with  the  change  of  heart 
had  come  the  feeling  of  peace  and  rest  to  which 
I  had  ever  been  a  stranger,  and  how  I  had  new 


Converted  G-ambler.  193 

and  warm  impulses  of  kindness  and  compassion 
for  my  fellow  men  to  whose  salvation  I  had 
vowed  to  devote  the  remainder  of  my  life. 

After  these  remarks,  I  was  requested  to 
retire,  and  in  a  few  moments  my  pastor  joined 
me  and  told  me  I  had  been  unanimously  chosen 
to  membership. 

Nine  or  ten  days  elapsed  before  my  immer- 
sion. Several  unauthorized  announcements  of 
the  ceremony  appeared  in  the  daily  papers, 
which  had  the  effect  of  filling  the  church  on 
each  occasion.  It  was  hardly  necessary  to  say 
that  the  publications  were  not  made  for  this 
purpose,  as  falsely  claimed  by  some.  The 
eventful  evening  finally  came,  and  the  cere- 
mony was  performed  in  the  presence  of  a  vast 
assemblage.  I  append  extracts  from  the  ac- 
counts printed  in  two  of  the  daily  papers  of 
Fort  Wayne. 

[From  The  News,  Jan.  14,  1878.] 

"  BUKIED  IN  BAPTISM. — MASON  LONG  TAKES 
UPON  HIMSELF  A  NEW  LIFE. 

"  Last  evening,  long  before  the  usual  hours 
for  service,  the  First  Baptist  Church  on  West 
Jefferson  Street  was  thronged  with  an  earnest 
and  interested  assemblage,  that  had  come  to- 
gether to  witness  the  solemn  ordinances  of 
baptism.  The  candidates  consisted  of  one  lady 


194  Mason  Long : 

and  three  gentlemen,  among  the  latter,  Mr. 
Mason  Long,  so  well  and  favorably  known  as 
one  of  the  best  hearted  and  most  generous  men 
in  the  community,  who  has  lately  turned  from 
a  life  of  pure  and  unadulterated  cussedness  to  a 
higher  and  nobler  existence,  and  whose  sincere 
and  honest  profession  can  not  but  be  fruitful 
of  lasting  good  in  the  community.  Mr. 
Long's  example  may  safely  be  imitated  by 
hundreds  of  his  former  companions  in  worldly 
life  and  pleasures.  His  address  to  the  congre- 
gation was  a  manly  confession  of  a  stricken  and 
contrite  heart,  and  his  words  sank  deep  into 
the  souls  of  the  immense  assemblage.  Moist- 
ened eyes,  many  of  them  unused  to  weeping, 
were  observed  on  all  sides,  and  silent  prayers 
from  hundreds  of  sympathetic  hearts  were  sent 
upward  for  the  new  converts'  continued  faith 
and  final  glorious  exchange  of  the  church 
militant  for  the  church  triumphant.  The  re- 
marks of  Rev.  Dr.  Stone  were  peculiarly  appro- 
priate to  the  occasion,  his  welcome  to  the  can- 
didates was  cordial,  and  the  impression  made 
upon  the  vast  audience  was  deeply  impressive." 


Converted  Gambler.  195 


[From  the  Sentinel,  same  day.~] 

"  BORN  AGAIN  —  THE  ORDINANCE  OF  BAPTISM 
ADMINISTERED  TO  MASON  LONG  AND 
OTHERS  LAST  EVENING. 

"The  Sentinel,  on  Saturday  last,  having 
given  notice  that  the  rite  of  Baptism  would  be 
administered  last  evening  at  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  a  large  congregation  greeted  the  can- 
didates ;  in  fact  as  early  as  seven  o'clock,  the 
large  auditorium  of  this  beautiful  church  w$s 
filled,  and  every  foot  of  available  standing  room 
was  crowded.  The  sensation  of  the  hour  was 
the  baptism  of  the  well-known  temperance  ora- 
tor, Mr.  Mason  Long,  whose  remarkable  con- 
version from  a  life  of  more  concentrated  cussed- 
ness  to  the  square  foot,  than  perhaps  any  other 
member  of  the  community,  to  an  entirely  new, 
and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  holier  existence,  has 
caused  such  a  profound  sensation.  That  his 
changed  life  and  his  concomitant  professions 
are  sincere,  no  real  friend  and  well  wisher  hesi- 
tates to  believe  ;  the  skeptical  are  found  in  the 
ranks  of  those  who  miss  his  presence  and  pat- 
ronage, and  remember  him  as  their  former  friend 
and  boon  companion.  Mr.  Long  connected  him- 
self with  the  temperance  movement  last  August, 


196  Mason  Long : 

and,  having  thus  evinced  a  desire  to  reform,  be- 
came the  subject  of  much  solicitude  and  the  tar- 
get of  many  heartfelt  invocations  to  God,  that 
he  might  be  endowed  with  strength  and  cour- 
age to  overcome  the  habits  that  seemed  to  have 
completely,  and  it  was  feared  irrevocably,  fas- 
tened upon  him.  Kind  counsels,  Christian 
arguments  prevailed ;  and  from  good  to  better 
Mace  has  gone  on  until  he  finds  himself  within 
the  folds  of  a  Christian  Church,  with  vows  reg- 
istered aloft  to  well  and  truly  live  so  that  when 
he  is  called  to  exchange  worlds  he  can  die  in 
full  hopes  of  a  blessed  immortality. 

"After  the  usual  preliminary  services,  the 
Rev.  J.  R.  Stone,  pastor,  called  upon  Mr.  Long 
to  say  a  few  words,  that  the  immense  auditory 
could  see  that  he  understood  the  ordinance  so 
soon  to  be  administered,  and  that  he  had,  after 
much  prayerful  meditation  and  mature  delibera- 
tion, voluntarily  accepted  it  with  all  its  kindred 
obligations.  The  assemblage  was  hushed  to 
complete  silence  as  he  spoke  the  following  words : 

"'How  thankful  I  am  that  I  have  been 
spared  to  help  make  this  scene.  I  am  thank- 
ful that  I  can  stand  before  you  and  claim  Christ 
as  my  Savior.  Only  a  few  months  ago  I  came 
to  this  house  with  a  bleeding  heart,  and  with 
tears  of  remorse  and  sorrow  for  my  past  wicked 
life.  I  listened  to  a  sermon,  every  word  of 
which  seemed  especially  intended  for  me,  and 


Converted  G-ambler.  197 

I  eagerly  drank  in  the  sweet  music,  which 
made  my  heart  beat  as  it  never  had  before. 
After  the  service  one  of  the  Sabbath-school 
scholars  of  the  church  came  to  me  with  a  Bible, 
with  many  passages  marked  for  me  as  my  les- 
son ;  why  she  gave  me  this  book  God  only 
knows.  I  went  to  my  room  and  studied  my 
lesson.  I  was  convicted  and  one  month  there- 
after went  to  the  Rink,  stood  up  before  hun- 
dreds of  people,  confessed  my  sins,  and  asked 
God  to  forgive  them.  Then  I  went  to  my  room 
seeking  rest,  but  found  none.  Looking  at  the 
gambling  apparatus  for  the  last  time,  I  left  the 
room  at  two  o'clock  at  night,  went  to  a  hotel, 
and  found  rest. 

" '  I  again  asked  God's  forgiveness,  and  then 
recalled  the  promise  to  my  dying  mother,  that 
I  would  be  a  good  boy  and  meet  her  in  heaven. 
How  well  I  remember  her  last  words,  "  God 
have  mercy  on  my  boy."  Those  are  sweet 
words  to  me,  and  I  am  very  thankful  that  they 
are  yet  fresh  in  my  memory.  I  have  one  request 
to  make  of  the  Christian  people  ;  that  is,  to  pray 
for  me  earnestly,  as  I  go  down  into  the  pool, 
that  the  dark  past  may  be  washed  away  forever, 
and  that  I  may  come  up  praising  the  Lord  for- 
ever and  forever. 

" '  May  I  say  one  word  to  my  pastor :  You 
have  watched  over  me  for  years.  I  have 
shunned  you  time  and  again.  When  under  the 


198  Mason  Long  : 

influence  of  liquor  I  have  frequently  met  you 
in  the  streets,  when  my  guilty  conscience  would 
drive  me  into  an  alley  or  saloon,  where  I  knew 
you  would  not  follow,  and  for  this  I  now  ask 
your  forgiveness.  I  have  prayed  for  God  to 
allow  you  to  remain  with  us  for  many  years  to 
come,  as  our  pastor,  and  should  it  be  your  lot 
to  be  called  from  us,  when  you  are  standing 
with  the  angels  above  you  will  not  forget  your 
little  flock  on  earth.' 

"  There  were  few  dry  eyes  among  the  audience 
upon  the  conclusion  of  the  address,  which  was 
delivered  in  a  feeling  manner  that  appealed 
directly  to  the  consciences  of  all  present." 

"I  have  never  regretted  for  one  moment  the 
step  I  took  upon  that  memorable  evening.  As 
I  emerged  from  the  pool,  I  felt  all  my  good 
purposes  strengthen  and  my  determination 
never  to  bring  dishonor  or  disgrace  upon  the 
cause  of  Christ,  was  more  fixed  than  ever.  The 
solemn  and  beautiful  rite  of  baptism  seemed  to 
bring  a  blessing  with  it,  and  to  inspire  me  with 
new  courage  and  increased  confidence,  in  the 
great  conflict  I  had  undertaken.  I  have  suc- 
ceeded in  fulfilling  my  solemn  pledges,  and  in 
leading  a  consistent,upright,Christian  life.  I  have 
prayerfully  sought,  by  word  and  action,  to  glo- 
rify the  Lord,  who  hath  done  such  great  things 
for  me,  and  I  believe  that  by  His  blessing,  I 
have  been  the  humble  instrument  of  accom- 


Converted  G-ambler.  199 

plishing  some  good.  I  am  ready  and  willing  to 
do  whatsoever  my  hands  can  find,  and  I  esteem 
it  an  especial  comfort  and  privilege  that  I  am 
able  to  labor  in  the  Lord's  vineyard.  I  feel 
deeply  my  own  unworthiness,  but  have  an 
abiding  faith  in  the  grace  of  God,  that  it  will 
remain  with  me  to  the  end.  I  am  active  in  the 
church,  and  in  the  temperance  cause,  and  my 
only  regret  is  that  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  do 
all  that  I  would  like  to,  bringing  perishing 
souls  to  a  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus,  and 
inducing  poor  sinful  human  beings  to  embrace 
the  glorious  salvation  which  is  free  to  all. 


200  Mason  Long: 


CHAPTER   XI. 

MY  CAREER  SINCE  MY  CONVERSION— WHAT  I  AM  DOING  IN 
THE    TEMPERANCE  WORK. 

"  How  shall  I  gain  my  livelihood  "  was  a 
question  of  great  importance  to  me,  after  I  had 
entered  upon  my  new  life.  I  had  but  a  limited 
education,  little  knowlege  of  any  trade  or  busi- 
ness, and  in  addition  to  these  disadvantages, 
I  was  penniless,  and  embarrassed  by  debts 
aggregating  a  considerable  amount.  I  was, 
however,  greatly  encouraged  by  some  of  our 
best  citizens  and  most  prominent  busi- 
ness men,  who  voluntarily  sought  me  out, 
and  asked  me  what  occupation  I  desired 
to  engage  in,  at  the  same  time  promising  me 
their  assistance  and  support.  Among  them 
was  Mr.  John  D.  Olds,  a  wealthy  gentleman, 
who  with  true  Christian  generosity,  said  to  me : 
"  I  want  you  to  pick  out  a  business  that  you 
are  capable  of  doing,  and  you  shall  not  lack  for 
the  means  to  carry  it  on."  This  noble  offer 
was  thankfully  accepted,  and  I  speedily  availed 
myself  of  Mr.  Olds'  kindness.  I  rented  a  build- 
ing in  Fort  Wayne,  fitted  it  up,  and  in  one  week 
opened  a  temperance  restaurant,  for  ladies  and 


Converted  Gambler.  201 

gentlemen.  The  "  Model  Coffee  House,"  as  I 
called  it,  was  made  neat  and  attractive,  and  at 
once  became  very  popular,  among  the  best 
classes  of  people.  Many,  no  doubt,  have  patron- 
ized me  by  way  of  encouragement,  and  for  this 
I  am  very  thankful.  My  business  has  been 
uniformly  good  since  I  began.  Some  days  as 
many  as  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  meals 
have  been  taken  in  my  place.  Among  those 
who  have  patronized  me,  were  saloon  keepers 
and  sporting  men,  who  have  encouraged  me  in 
my  new  life,  and  expressed  regret  that  they  too 
could  not  muster  up  courage  to  take  the 
step  I  had  taken.  I  have  endeavored  to  induce 
them  to  abandon  their  evil  ways,  and  lead  bet- 
ter lives,  and  have  succeeded  in  getting  a  great 
many  drunkards  to  sign  the  pledge,  and  become 
men  among  men.  I  got  fifty-nine  of  the  very 
worst  of  that  class,  to  put  on  the  blue  ribbon, 
in  one  month,  and  with  scarcely  an  exception, 
they  are  faithful  to  their  promises.  Among 
the  most  staunch  and  determined  in  their  new 
mode  of  life,  are  those  who,  like  me,  have 
drained  the  cup  of  dissipation  and  vice  to  its 
dregs,  and  become  satisfied  that  the  inevitable 
fruits  of  such  indulgence  are  shame,  sorrow, 
and  distress. 

I  soon  found  out  that  "  it  pays  to  be  a  man." 
I  made  many  warm  friends,  in  my  new  pursuit, 
and  received  offers  of  pecuniary  assistance  from 


202  Mason  Long : 

persons  who  had  scarcely  ever  exchanged  a 
word  with  me.  These  unsolicited  proofs  of 
confidence,  gratified  me  beyond  measure,  and 
I  am  striving  to  prove  myself  worthy  of  them. 
After  my  conversion,  I  received  a  great  many 
invitations  to  visit  neighboring  towns  and  speak 
on  the  question  of  temperance.  I  am  no  ora- 
tor, and  have  not  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  an 
education,  but  I  go  and  tell  the  story  of  my 
wrecked  but  redeemed  life,  and  it  seems  to 
have  as  much  effect  as  the  most  eloquent  and 
polished  speech.  I  make  no  pretensions,  and 
am  neither  working  for  fame  nor  money.  I  am 
willing — nay,  anxious — to  go  wherever  I  can 
accomplish  even  the  smallest  amount  of  good. 
I  have  usually  had  large  audiences,  and  have 
received  abundant  testimony  that  my  labors 
have  not  been  wholly  fruitless.  I  have  deliv- 
ered over  one  hundred  addresses  in  the  year 
which  has  elapsed  since  I  consecrated  myself 
to  this  work.  In  Toledo  I  spoke  to  an  audience 
of  fourteen  hundred,  and  on  the  next  evening  I 
went  into  the  country  and  talked  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  people.  On  the  31st  of  last  May,  I  spoke 
at  the  great  Murphy  gathering  of  ten  thousand 
persons,  at  Logansport,  and  on  the  succeeding 
evening  I  went  to  a  small  village,  eighteen 
miles  from  Fort  Wayne,  where  the  first  saloon 
was  about  to  be  started.  I  spoke  in  the  church 
to  a  small  gathering,  among  those  present  being 


Converted  Q-ambler.  203 

the  two  young  men  who  had  left  their  farms  in 
order  to  open  this  saloon.  I  told  in  my  plain 
and  humble  way,  what  whisky  had  done  for 
me,  and  these  young  men,  after  the  speech, 
came  forward  and  signed  the  pledge.  They 
gave  up  the  saloon  idea  and  went  back  to  the 
farm.  Although  my  audience  numbered  but 
sixty-five,  I  went  away  with  a  light  heart,  feel- 
ing that  I  had  done  more  good  than  at  Logans- 
port,  where  I  had  ten  thousand  listeners.  I 
have  spoken  at  large  meetings  in  Chicago,  Terre 
Haute,  and  many  other  cities.  Among  the 
places  that  I  have  delivered  speeches  are  Elk- 
hart,  Valparaiso,  Warsaw,  Larville,  Monroe- 
ville,  Columbia  City,  Logansport,  Lafayette, 
Peru,  Wabash,  Huntington,  Roanoke,  Delphi, 
Saline  City,  Defiance,  Napoleon,  Antwerp,  De- 
catur,  Bluffton,  Auburn,  Waterloo,  Angola, 
Kendallville,  Ligonier,  La  Otto,  Cherubusco, 
Muuson's  Chapel,  Van  Wert,  Coldwater,  Ann 
Arbor,  Ypsilanti,  and  many  others.  At  sev- 
eral of  these  points  I  have  spoken  twice  ;  some 
three  times,  and  once  (South  Bend)  as  many 
as  seven  times. 

I  am  not  telling  my  story,  or  traveling 
through  the  country,  in  order  to  make  a  living. 
My  little  restaurant  business  at  Fort  Wayne 
supports  me,  and  I  have  no  desire  to  gain  a  liveli- 
hood by  my  efforts  in  the  cause  of  temperance. 
Usually,  when  I  speak,  a  collection  is  taken  up, 
9* 


204  Mason  Long : 

and  the  proceeds  handed  to  me.  I  make  a 
practice  of  deducting  my  necessary  expenses, 
and  donating  the  remainder  to  the  organization 
under  whose  auspices  I  may  be  speaking.  Most 
of  these  associations  are  poor,  and  need  this 
money,  and  I  think  much  good  is  done  by  these 
contributions.  I  speak  of  this,  not  to  take  any 
credit  to  myself,  but  merely  to  disabuse  the 
public  of  the  idea,  which  is  very  prevalent,  that 
every  man  who  travels  about  in  the  temperance 
cause  does  so  from  mercenary  motives.  I  think 
my  plan  is  the  best,  and  that  if  all  who  are 
interested  in  this  great  movement  would  adopt 
it,  the  general  results  would  be  better. 

In  my  labors  in  this  field,  I  make  no  efforts 
at  eloquence  or  rhetorical  nourish.  I  simply  tell 
my  story  in  plain,  unadorned  language,  such  as 
I  have  used  in  this  book,  and  I  believe  the 
effect  is  usually  good.  I  especially  try,  in  my 
humble  way,  to  influence  the  children.  I 
believe  that  everything  in  this  life  depends 
upon  getting  the  right  kind  of  a  start,  and  that 
in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  those  who  fall  into 
evil  courses,  and  become  intemperate  and  licen- 
tious, do  so  from  the  failure  to  receive  proper 
training  in  childhood.  I  have  never  doubted 
that  my  career  would  have  been  widely  differ- 
ent, but  for  the  adverse  surroundings  of  my 
youth.  I  think  it  is  a  wise  policy  for  children 
to  sign  this  pledge,  and  become  interested  in 


Converted  Gambler.  205 

this  great  movement.  The  influence  of  the 
little  people  in  this  world  is,  I  think,  largely 
under-estimated.  If  directed  into  the  right 
channels,  they  are  able  to  exert  a  vast  power 
for  good  ;  and  a  great  mistake  is  made  when 
we  overlook  them  in  organizing  the  work  of 
reform. 

I  sometimes  think  that  parents,  as  a  rule,  do 
not  comprehend  the  fearful  responsibilities 
under  which  they  labor.  They  have  precious, 
immortal  souls,  intrusted  to  their  care,  and 
they  should  see  to  it  that  these  great  trusts  are 
properly  discharged.  The  social  glass  of  wine, 
the  friendly  game  of  cards  in  the  ho.me  circle, 
may  seem  very  innocent  pastimes ;  but  in  how 
many  children  have  they  implanted  the  fond- 
ness for  gambling,  or  the  taste  for  liquor,  which 
has  afterward  proved  their  ruin  ?  The  effect 
of  these  things  is  not,  I  think,  sufficiently 
understood  by  fathers  and  mothers ;  and  I 
esteem  it  part  of  my  mission  to  open  their 
eyes,  so  far  as  it  is  in  my  power,  to  the 
awful  consequences  which  they  invite  by 
their  thoughtlessness  and  carelessness. 

My  story  is  finished.  I  give  my  little  book 
to  the  world,  painfully  aware  that  it  is  deficient 
in  literary  merit,  and  that  the  cultured  and 
educated  may  subject  its  pages  to  the  most 
severe,  but  doubtless  deserved,  criticism.  For 
this  I  am  fully  prepared.  But  I  cherish  a  lin- 


206  Mason  Long  : 

geringhope  that  this  unpretending  little  volume, 
in  spite  of  its  many  and  acknowledged  faults, 
may  be  the  means  of  doing  some  little  good  ; 
that  the  story  of  my  wasted  life  may  prove  a 
warning  to  some  who  are  just  entering  upon  the 
pathway  I  trod  so  many  years  ;  and  that  others 
who,  like  me,  have  drifted  far  out  into  the  cur- 
rent of  sin  and  wickedness,  may  be  led  by  my 
blessed  experience  to  seek  the  Savior,  and  find 
the  peace  and  happiness  which  are  now  denied 
them. 

And  now  I  bid  farewell  to  my  readers,  and 
may  God  bless  them  all. 


Converted  Gf-ambler.  207 


TESTIMONIALS   FROM  CLERGYMEN. 


From   Rev.   J.    R.  Stone,  D.D.,   Pastor  First 
Baptist   Church,  Fort  Wayne^Ind. 

FORT  WAYNE,  July  5,  1878. 

TO   WHOMSOEVER  THIS   MAY  COME: 

This  is  to  Certify,  That  Mr.  Mason  Long  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  in  good  and  regular  standing, 
and  that  he  has  the  full  confidence  and  fellow- 
ship of  our  entire  membership.  We  regard  him 
as  a  truly  reformed,  honest,  worthy  man,  and 
a  sincere  Christian,  as  he  is  also  an  earnest, 
effective  worker  in  the  temperance  cause.  As 
such  we  commend  him.  J.  R.  STONE, 

Pastor  First  Baptist  Church. 


From  Rev.  Samuel  Haskell,  D.D.,  Pastor  First 
Baptist  Church,  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan. 

ANN  ARBOR,  May  30,  1878. 
MR.  MASON  LONG  —  My  Dear  Brother  : 
Absence  from  home,  and  illness,  have  pre- 
vented my  writing  sooner,  to  say  what  I  have 
desired  to  since  your  labors  in  our  city  and 
vicinity.  It  is  due  to  you,  and  to  the  cause  at 


208  Mason  Long: 

large,  that  we  bear  our  testimony  to  the  excel- 
lent effect  of  your  addresses,  and  personal 
bearing  among  us.  While  all  Christian  people 
have  taken  you  to  their  hearts  in  liveliest  sym- 
pathy, and  continued  prayerful  remembrance, 
many  others,  who  had  distrusted  or  feared  the 
Christian  element  in  our  reform,  have  been 
brought  to  a  wiser  thoughtfulness.  If  an 
experience  of  the  religion  of  Christ  can  do 
that  of  which  you  are  a  witness,  hardened  and 
prejudiced  men  must  feel  that  they  should 
think  again  before  rejecting  it,  or  disavowing 
its  power  in  recovering  the  lost. 

May  God  keep  and  strengthen  you,  making 
you  a  still  brighter  and  everlasting  "  epistle 
written  in  the  heart,  known  and  read  of  all 
men.1' 

Your  audience    here    was    the  best  of   any 
weekly  assembly  which  our  year  of  remarkable 
meetings  and  eminent  speakers  had  witnessed. 
Most  sincerely  yours. 

SAMUEL  HASKELL. 

From  Rev.  H.  A.   G-obin,   D.D.,   Pastor   First 
Methodist   Church,  Lafayette,  Indiana. 

LAFAYETTE,  May  13,  1878. 

MR.  MACE  LONG — Dear  Brother :     I  was  not 

permitted  to  hear  you  on  your  former  visit  to 

Lafayette,  but  as  I  listened  to  you  last  night,  I 

was  not  surprised  at  the  wonderful  sensation 


Converted   Gambler.  209 

and  blessed  influence  pervading  our  city  on  the 
occasion  of  your  first  address  in  our  temperance 
meetings.  The  recital  of  your  experience  is 
one  of  the  most  pathetic  and  satisfying  testi- 
monies to  the  value  of  Christianity  that  I  ever 
heard.  May  God  bless  you,  my  brother.  You 
ought  to  spend  your  whole  time  in  telling  the 
story  of  your  eventful  life.  Your  zeal  in  sin 
almost  ruined  you,  but  your  zeal  in  righteous- 
ness will  not  only  bless  your  own  heart,  but  by 
the  blessing  of  God  you  can  save  thousands 
from  the  gulf  of  misery  to  which  you  were 
hastening. 

Several  of  our  most  intelligent  citizens  have 
remarked  to  me  that  your  address  was  the  most 
impressive  appeal  for  temperance  and  religion 
they  ever  heard.  For  years  and  years  you  will 
be  gratefully  remembered  in  Lafayette.  May 
you  never  do  a  thing  to  cast  a  shadow  on  our 
esteem  and  love  for  you.  We  all  say,  may  God 
bless  Mace  Long.  Cordially  your  brother, 

H.  A.  GOBIN. 

From  Rev.  Robert  MacKenzie,  D.D.,  Pastor  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  Lafayette,  Indiana. 
LAFAYETTE,  April  30,  1878. 
MASON  LONG,  ESQ. — My  Christian  Brother  : 
Let   me  assure   vou  of    the   great  good  your 
words  have   done  in  our  midst  in  awakening 
more  of  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  in  our  temper- 


210  Mason  Long: 

ance  work  in  Lafayette.  All  the  workers  have 
been  encouraged  and  refreshed  by  your  visit. 
As  for  myself  I  can  only  repeat  words  I  said  to 
my  congregation  on  the  subject :  "  I  have  sat 
at  the  feet  of  seven  professors  for  seven  years, 
to  fit  myself  to  stand  in  the  pulpit,  but  in  the 
experiences  of  the  human  heart,  in  the  spirit 
necessary  to  reach  those  who  have  wandered 
far  from  God,  in  the  subduing,  sweetening  influ- 
ence of  the  gospel  upon  such  hearts,  I  learned 
something  from  the  related  experience  of  Mace 
Long  which  I  never  learned  from  a  professor, 
and  which  has  greatly  helped  me  to  follow  the 
Master  in  saving  the  outcast  and  the  prodigal. 
And  he  was  all  the  better  teacher  because  he 
did  not  know  he  was  instructing  us  who  sat  at 
his  back  on  the  platform." 

May  God  bless  you,  my  brother,  and  keep 
you  humble  and  near  the  Cross.  May  God 
bless  the  Blue  Ribbon  movement  that  caught 
you  in  your  downward  way.  Be  faithful  to  the 
end  if  only  for  the  dear  mother's  sake  whose 
last  pulse  was  a  prayer  for  her  boy. 

Yours  in  Christian  temperance, 

ROBERT  MACKENZIE. 


Converted   Q-ambler.  211 


CHAPTER    XII. 


A  SUPPLEMENTARY  CHAPTER  WRITTEN  BY  MY  PASTOR,  AT 
MY  BEQUEST. 


My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Long  began  in 
1869.  I  had  noticed  in  my  congregation,  soon 
after  entering  upon  my  pastorate  in  Fort  Wayne, 
a  gentleman  of  pleasing  countenance  and  gen- 
teel appearance,  who  seemed  to  be  a  stranger 
to  my  people,  and  yet  not  a  little  interested  in 
the  services.  He  came  again  and  again.  I  soon 
learned  that  he  was  known  in  town  as  "a  sport- 
ing man,"  and  was  a  skillful  manipulator  of  cards, 
and  regarded  as  a  lucky,  plucky,  jolly  good  fel- 
low. I  would  sometimes  miss  him  from  church 
for  awhile,  and  was  told  that  he  was  away  on 
business;  perhaps  at  "the  Races,"  which  he 
followed  from  New  Orleans  to  Saratoga ;  or  at 
some  county  or  State  fair,  plying  his  "  profes- 
sion ; "  but  if  in  the  city,  which  he  called  his 
home  and  made  his  headquarters,  he  was  pretty 
sure  to  be  in  our  assembly,  and  apparently  an 
attentive  listener.  I  used  to  wonder  at  this, 
and  one  day  I  sought  an  interview  with  him, 
that  I  might  become  acquainted  with  him  more 
fully,  and  perhaps  urge  upon  him  personally, 


212  Mason  Long : 

the  claims  of  religion,  reach  his  conscience, 
win  his  confidence,  and,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
bring  him  to  Christ.  He  seemed  a  little  sur- 
prised, at  first,  by  my  language  and  manner, 
but  at  once  met  me  courteously,  with  cheerful 
good  nature,  and  gentlemanly  frankness.  Upon 
my  seeking,  without  undue  abruptness,  and  as 
pleasantly,  yet  as  faithfully  as  I  could,  to  reach 
his  heart  and  his  conscience,  I  found  him  in- 
trenched behind  his  notions  of  morality  and 
personal  honesty,  his  ideas  of  manliness  and  the 
proprieties  of  business,  his  natural  good  nature 
and  kindly  disposition  toward  the  poor,  the 
unfortunate,  and  the  suffering,  and  his  cheerful 
readiness  to  help  the  needy  and  the  distressed 
wherever  he  might  see  them,  and  I  subsequent- 
ly learned  that  his  claims  to  be  "  a  square  deal- 
er," and  "  honorable "  in  all  his  professional 
ways,  high-minded  and  gentlemanly,  according 
to  the  code  of  fast  and  worldly  men,  were  very 
generally  accorded  to  him  by  his  associates 
and  acquaintances.  Nor  were  his  frequent  and 
habitual  kindnesses  to  persons  in  distress  un- 
known or  questioned.  He  was  proverbially 
good-natured,  kind-hearted  and  generous,  and 
his  word  of  honor  was,  up  to  this  time,  undis- 
puted. He  had  just  before  failed  in  business, 
yet  scarcely  one  of  his  creditors  ever  doubted  his 
honesty  of  purpose  or  heart.  I  learned,  also, 
afterward,  that  he  could,  at  almost  any  time, 


. 

Converted  Q-amUer.  213 

even  when  "  dead  broke,."  at  the  Races  or  at 
home,  borrow  any  sums  he  asked,  upon  his  own 
word  of  honor.  He  was  in  many  respects  an 
exceptional  person  and  character.  It  was  there- 
fore not  altogether  vain  boasting,  as  a  man 
among  men,  when  he  put  himself  behind  such 
intrenchments  that  he  migvht  seek  to  escape  or 
parry  the  force  of  my  friendly  but  earnest  and 
faithful  attack.  He  listened,  however,  upon 
the  occasion  I  am  speaking  of,  to  my  kindly 
words,  and  to  my  attempted  presentation  of  the 
claims  of  religion,  the  demands  of  Heaven's 
highest  laws,  and  "  the  chief  end  of  man,"  and 
as  I  spoke  to  him  of  the  noblest  possible  living, 
the  awards  of  the  "  Great  Day,"  and  the  Har- 
vests of  Eternity !  The  interview  was  brief, 
and  my  subsequent  recollections  of  it  far  from 
satisfactory,  but  it  served  a  double  purpose  — 
it  gave  me  fuller  insight  and  better  knowledge 
of  human  nature  in  some  of  its  more  unprom- 
ising aspects  and  surroundings,  so  that  I  learned 
how  better  to  reach  gay  and  sportive  young 
men,  and  it  evidently  attached  Mr.  Long  to  me 
by  a  cord  that  has  never  since  been  altogether 
severed.  True,  it  afterward  sank  out  of  sight 
for  a  long  time,  as  a  whaleman's  harpoon -line 
may  sometimes  run  down  and  disappear,  many 
fathoms  deep,  and  seem  for  a  long  time  to  be 
clean  gone  and  lost;  but  patient  waiting,  care- 
ful watching  and  rowing  about,  as  on  deep-sea 


214  Mason  Long  : 

fishing  grounds,  have  not  been,  even  in  this  in- 
stance, labor  in  vain. 

After  awhile  Mr.  Long  opened  a  saloon  for 
billiards  and  "  liquor  samples,"  in  connection 
with  his  private  parlors  and  card  tables,  where 
one  could  count  the  leopard's  "  spots  "  and  try 
his  hand  with  "  the  tiger,"  amid  gorgeous  sur- 
roundings and  trappings,  in  gay  and  sportive 
halls.  This  enlargement  of  his  business,  and 
especially  jits  new  features,  produced  their  in- 
evitable corresponding  results  upon  his  own 
nature,  character,  and  outward  appearances,  and 
served  so  to  stifle  or  strangle  the  voice  of  con- 
science— so  to  paralyze  his  better  nature  and 
kill  down  to  the  ground  its  upspringing  shoots 
— so  compelled  him  to  shut  his  eyes  and  close 
his  ears,  and  rush  on,  blindly,  madly,  in  his  sin- 
ful and  godless  career,  that  from  this  time  he 
ceased  coming  to  the  house  of  God  altogether. 
Indeed,  he  determinedly  turned  away  from  the 
Light,  "  lest  his  deeds  should  be  reproved." 

Nor  could  I  now  reach  him  at  all,  unless  I 
were  to  go  to  his  "  den."  From  that  I  was 
deterred  and  kept  back,  perhaps  unwisely,  be- 
cause it  seemed  to  promise,  not  only  an  unwel- 
come reception,  but  a  scattering  and  loss  of 
pearls  that  might  but  serve  to  provoke  the  tiger 
to  fiercer  rage.  Besides,  Mr.  Long  evidently 
avoided  meeting  me ;  he  shunned  me  when  he 
could,  lest,  as  he  has  since  told  me,  I  should 


Converted  G-amUer.  215 

talk  to  him  of  other  and  better  things  and  ways 
than  those  he  was  then  resolved  upon  pursuing, 
and  should  faithfully  warn  him  of  "  the  wrath 
to  come!" 

Thus,  conscience  makes  cowards  of  us  all. 

Three  or  four  years  thus  passed  away,  and 
Mr.  Long  was  making  for  himself  a  sad  and 
sorrowful  record  for  habits  of  "  sporting,"  gam- 
bling, dissipation,  dissoluteness,  deeper,  grosser, 
lower.  He  won  and  he  lost ;  he  recovered  and 
he  broke  down,  again  and  again.  His  money 
losses  were  rapidly  regained,  yet  often  squan- 
dered in  a  week.  His  "  bank  "  would  often  be 
quickly  and  largely  flushed  after  a  long  and 
hard  run,  and  soon  he  would  find  himself  "  dead 
broke."  But  all  the  while  he  was  approaching 
complete  bankruptcy  of  character,  of  manli- 
ness, of  personal  worth  and  of  hope,  even. 
His  ventures  were  all  afloat,  on  a  stormy  sea, 
amid  sunken  rocks  and  perilous  shoals.  The 
breakers  were  ofttimes  in  sight,  yet  he  would 
shut  his  eyes.  He  would  now  and  then  hear 
the  dashing  surf,  the  mad  billows'  roar,  and, 
above  the  din,  above  the  thunder-crash,  he 
seemed  to  hear  demon  voices  and  fiendish  yells, 
and  through  his  fast  shut  eyelids  he  could  see 
awful,  terrible  forms  after  him  ! 

Thus,  full  of  unrest  and  wretchedness,  and 
almost  despairing  of  any  thing  better  than 


216  Mason  Long\: 

financial  and  social  ruin,  that  stared  him  in  the 
face — thinking  little  of  the  eternal  future,  and 
caring  less — Mr.  Long  one  evening  found  his 
way  into  "the  Rink"  partly  from  curiosity,  and 
partly  in  hope  of  finding  "  lots  of  fun."  For 
several  months  there  had  been,  every  night,  in 
this  immense  building,  crowds  of  people  drawn 
together  by  earnest,  zealous,  effective  workers 
in  the  temperance  cause.  These  meetings  had 
become  the  talk  of  the  town,  and  scenes  of  won- 
drous and  mighty  marvel  were  occurring  nightly. 
Hopeless  and  death-marked  sots,  abandoned 
and  hitherto  self-desponding,  self-despairing 
men,  not  a  few — and  many  young  men,  fast, 
gay,  sportive,  had  been  induced  to  sign  "  the 
Murphy  Pledge"  -and  put  on  "  the  Blue  Rib- 
bon." That  first,  stealthy  visit  of  Mr.  Long  to 
the  Rink,  was  for  him  most  fortunate,  as  some 
would  say.  It  proved  to  be  to  him,  as  now  we 
see,  the  result  of  a  divinely  given  impulse — of 
a'heavenward-drawing  force,  as  mighty  as  it  was 
gentle,  and  unrecognized  at  the  time. 

I  saw  him  in  the  outer  edge  of  the  surging 
throng,  as  if  he  were  stirred  by  mingled  emo- 
tions of  contempt,  facetiousness,  and  rollicking 
jollity. 

The  next  night  he  was  there  again,  and 
several  earnest  workers  sought  to  win  his  name 
and  influence  for  "  the  Murphy  movement"  and 
reform.  At  first  they  were  repelled,  but  their 


Converted  Gambler.  217 

zeal,  their  kindness  of  manner,  their  forceful 
arguments,  their  persistent  and  importunate 
appeals,  and  their  trust  in.  God,  were  soon 
rewarded,  and  Mason  Long  donned  the  Blue  Rib- 
bon, and  signed  the  Pledge,  to  the  joy  of  a 
thousand  people  !  The  walls  of  the  Rink  rang 
out  jubilant  echoes  from  full  hearts  and  burst- 
ing throats  that  night,  and  they  sang — 

"  Ring  the  bells  of  heaven  !     There  is  joy  to-day, 
For  a  soul  returning  from  the  wild  ! " 

It  awakened,  also,  in  not  a  few  hearts,  the 
long  slumbering  hope  that  this  was  but  an 
earnest  of  something  better.  It  was  regarded 
the  sure  leverage  for  a  still  higher  uplifting, 
and  a  thorough  radical  change  of  life  and  of 
character.  Nor  was  this  a  strange  thought  to 
Mr.  Long  himself;  for  very  shortly  he  ex- 
pressed, not  only  privately,  but  publicly  also, 
the  yearning  of  his  innermost  nature  for  some- 
thing higher  and  better  than  he  had  ever 
known,  though  he  hardly  knew  or  conceived  of 
even  as  yet  the  outlines  of  what  his  soul's  long- 
ings would  have  had  built  up  within  him,  or  for 
him.  It  was  some  time  before  his  thoughts  or 
desires  dropped  out  and  fell  away  from  his  rul- 
ing passion  for  tempting  the  wheel  of  fortune, 
or  trying  the  chances  of  the  possible  combina- 
tions of  luck  and  the  future.  As  yet  he  saw  no 
inherent  evil,  no  essential  and  absolute  wrong, 


218  Mason  Long : 

in  gaming,  if  there  were  no  fraud  practiced,  no 
cheating,  no  dishonesty  allowed  ;  and  therefore 
for  awhile  his  plans  of  life  were  not  essentially 
changed,  though  his  business  fell  off  very  con- 
siderably, in  proportion  as  fast  young  men  be- 
came sober  and  abstemious  and  habitual  fre- 
quenters at  the  Rink,  where  the  Gospel  Tem- 
perance meetings  were  still  nightly  held  with 
great  and  growing  enthusiasm. 

At  length,  the  utterances  of  the  Rink  speak- 
ers, the  earnest  words  and  kindly  appeals  of 
the  temperance  workers,  some  of  them  zealous 
Christian  ladies,  and  some  of  them  young  Chris- 
tian converts  from  among  the  reformed  men, 
began  to  stir  his  heart,  and  recall  the  almost 
long-forgotten  prayers  and  entreaties  of  his 
sainted  mother,  and  the  promises  he  made  to 
her  upon  her  death-bed.  And  now,  once  more 
he  turned  his  feet  into  the  house  of  God,  where 
years  before  he  was  accustomed  to  sit  so  often 
of  Sabbath  mornings. 

The  sermon  for  the  day  was  such  as  to  arrest 
his  attention,  and  compel  his  careful  listening. 
It  was  blessed  to  the  deepening  of  his  religious 
convictions,  to  the  intensifying  of  his  desires 
for  a  nobler  and  a  holy  life,  and  to  the  heaven- 
ward direction  of  his  thoughts,  his  wishes,  and 
his  prayerful  yearnings  of  soul. 

To  all  this,  at  the  close  of  the  public  service, 
added  force  and  power  was  given  by  an  unex- 


Converted  G-ambler.  219 

pected  and  unlooked-for  personal  appeal,  with 
an  opened  Bible,  marked  for  just  such  reading 
as  an  awakened  thoughtful  sinner  needs,  to 
make  his  apprehension  of  God's  truth  and  of  his 
own  condition  clearer,  fuller,  stronger,  and  inef- 
faceable ;  and  to  point  out  to  him  the  only 
ground  of  hope,  the  only  way  of  escape  from 
death  and  perdition,  the  only  method,  or  plan, 
or  possibility,  of  salvation  from  the  curse  and 
condemnation  of  sin ;  as  also  from  its  bondage, 
its  power,  its  terrible  and  assured  end — ever- 
lasting woe  ! 

He  was  urged  tq  read  it  for  himself,  and  to 
seek  the  pardoning,  the  renewing,  the  saving 
grace  of  God,  at  once  with  all  his  heart,  by 
prayer  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He 
was  told  that  all  his  help  was  in  God  alone ; 
that  in  Jesus,  the  Savior  of  penitent  sinners, 
was  all  his  hope  ;  and  that  the  Bible  was  his 
only  safe,  his  only  authoritative  and  infallible 
guide,  as  the  Holy  Spirit  should  make  it  lumin- 
ous to  his  apprehension ;  and  that  the  Divine 
assurance  is  for  all  and  "  upon  all  them  that  be- 
lieve," "  to  every  one  that  believeth"  These 
earnest  words  were  also  specially  blessed  of  God 
to  him. 

That  same  night,  or  shortly  after,  an  immense 
throng  in  the  Rink  were  astounded  at  Mr. 
Long's  open  and  full  confession  of  exceeding 
great  sinfuluess,  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  in  the 


220  Mason  Long : 

light  and  condemnation  of  his  own  quick- 
ened conscience  !  His  manner  was  intensely 
earnest,  and  brokenhearted.  His  agony 
of  soul  was  obviously  deep  and  unutter- 
able, as  he  begged  the  prayers  of  Christ- 
ian people,  .for  the  grace  .and  pardoning 
mercy  of  God  toward  him.  Prayer,  of  course, 
fervent  and  importunate,  was  offered  at  once, 
and  repeated  at  many  a  family  and  private 
altar  that  night ;  as  also  by  himself,  till  mercy 
came ;  and  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
filled  his  heart  with  peace  and  rest,  and  grate- 
ful, joyous  love  ;  and  with  the  comfort  in  the 
Holy  Ghost ! 

In  a  few  days  he  told  us  in  the  Rink,  of  the 
relief  that  had  come  to  his  soul — of  the  trust  in 
God,  the  prayerfulness  and  thankfulness  of  his 
spirit — of  his  new  desires  and  thoughts  and 
purposes  of  heart,  and,  also,  of  his  unreserved 
consecration  and  devotement  to  the  service  of 
God,  and  a  new,  a  holy,  a  Christian  life ! 

The  crisis  was  passed,  so  far  as  we  could  see, 
"  the  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God,"  was  for  him 
graciously  begun.  The  language  of  his  heart 


Here  on  Thy  altar,  Lord,  I  lay 

My  soul,  my  life,  my  all : 
To  follow  where  Thou  lead'st  the  way  ; 

To  obey  Thy  every  call  ! 

This  great  change  occurred  in  October  last 


Converted  Gambler.  221 

— nine  or  ten  months  ago.  Since  then  Mr. 
Long  has  maintained  a  consistent  Christian  life, 
and  continues  to  be  an  earnest,  effective  work- 
er for  the  Temperance  Cause,  and  for  the  up- 
lifting and  salvation  of  men  from  all  sin  and  the 
power  of  all  evil.  He  is  an  esteemed  member 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Fort  Wayne, 
having  been  "  buried  with  Christ  in  baptism  " 
upon  profession  of  his  faith  early  in  January 
last.  He  has  been  ofttimes  sorely  tried  by  evil 
reports  and  malicious  stories  circulated  against 
him,  both  abroad  and  at  home,  but  he  has 
always  sought  to  maintain,  I  believe,  a  good 
conscience  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  a  consistent 
walk  among  men,  as  an  honest,  sincere,  Chris- 
tian gentleman.  He  does  not  glory  in  his  past 
shrewdness,  gaiety,  follies,  or  wickedness,  but 
speaks  of  them,  if  at  all,  only  to  warn  the 
tempted  and  the  unwary;  and  if  possible  to 
save  them  from  his  sad  experiences,  and  from 
his  former  evil  ways. 

We  hope  for  him  in  the  future,  the  Divine 
care,  guidance,  and  grace  ;  that  "  God  will  work 
in  him  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good 
pleasure ; "  keeping  him  humble,  faithful, 
manly,  godly  ;  and  we  pray,  we  expect  of  him 
and  for  him,  all  this :  that  the  grace  of  God 
may  be  magnified. 

He  feels  that  his  reform,  and  his  new  course 
in  life,  are  the  result  and  work  of  Divine  grace 


222  Mason  Long : 

in  Jesus  Christ,  through  faith  in  Him.  His  as- 
sured trust  and  abiding  confidence  that  this 
new  life  shall  be  a  continuous  career  of  sobri- 
ety and  virtue,  of  useful  industry  and  worthi- 
ness, of  true  manliness  and  godliness,  is,  as  \vell 
he  says  with  all  apparent  sincerity,  not 
in  his  own  strength  of  purpose  and  personal 
might  of  will ;  but  in  the  help  and  power  of 
God,  inwardly  strengthening  him.  His  heart 
seems  to  be  fixed,  and  determined  "to  walk 
henceforth  in  newness  of  life,"  (Romans  vi, 
7,)  "j'ielding  himself  unto  God,  as  one  alive 
from  the  dead  ;  and  his  members  as  instruments 
of  righteousness,  unto  God.;'  The  language  of 
one  who  called  himself  "  the  chief  of  sinners," 
he  makes  his  own  and  says :  "  By  the  grace  of 
Q-od  I  am  what  Jaw." 

"  Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained ; 
either  were  already  perfect ;  but  I  follow  after, 
if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I 
am  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus  !  " 

I  waste  no  more  in  idle  dreams  my  life,  my  soul  away ; 

I  wake  to  know  my  better  self— I  wake  to  watch  and  pray; 

Thought,  feeling,  time,  on  idols  vain  I've  lavished  all  too 

-long; 
Henceforth  to  holier  purposes  I  pledge  myself,  my  song  ! 


MASON    LONG    AT    HIS   MOTHER  S    GRAVE. 


CHAPTER    XIII.* 

SPEECH  DELIVERED  BY  MASON  LONG  IN  THE  OPERA  HOUSE 
AT  LAFAYETTE,  INDIANA.  MAY  12,  1878. 

"  For  we  can  not  but  speak  that  which  we  have  seen  and 
heard." — Acts,  Chapter  iv,  verse  20. 

The  wonderful  efficacy  of  the  gospel  temper- 
ance work  done  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  during 
the  last  two  years  is  admirably  illustrated  in 
the  case  of  Mason  Long. 

This  energetic  man  is  well  known  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Wabash 
Valley  as  having  been,  a  few  years  ago,  one  of 
the  most  noted  gamblers  in  that  region  of 
country. 

His  life  has  been  a  varied  one,  highly  colored 
with  romance.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find 
any  where  a  man  in  whom  the  element  of  self- 
hood is  more  visible.  Left  in  early  boyhood 
without  a  relative  or  a  friend  in  the  world  to 
care  for  him,  he  was  compelled  to  hew  out  his 
own  road  as  best  he  could.  From  the  farm  to 
the  store ;  from  the  store  to  the  army ;  from 

*This  chapter  is  taken  from  the  "Ribbon  Workers,"  edited 
by  James  M.  Hiatt,  Esq.,  and  published  by  J.  W.  Goodspeed, 
Chicago. 


226  Mason  Long : 

the  army  back  to  merchandise ;  thence  to  the 
whisky  saloon  and  the  gambling  hell,  and  from 
there  to  the  glorious  field  of  moral  reform,  in 
which  he  has  proven  himself  one  of  the  most 
successful  workers  —  all  the  way  along  this 
changeful  line  there  is  manifest  a  Divine 
guardianship  at  every  step  and  in  every  move- 
ment. 

Mr.  Long  is  prominent  in  the  Blue  Ribbon 
Association  in  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana — an  organ- 
ization which  comprises  a  membership  of  over 
ten  thousand  at  present. 

The  following  speech,  delivered  by  him  in 
the  Opera  House  at  Lafayette,  before  an  im- 
mense audience,  on  the  evening  of  May  12, 
1878,  is  here  presented  as  his  own  account  of 
his  career : 

"  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  :  I  come  not  as 
a  speech-maker  —  only  as  one  who  has  a  sad 
story  to  tell  of  a  once  wrecked,  but  now  re- 
deemed life.  I  do  not  tell  this  that  I  am  proud 
of  it.  I  want  to  show  you  where  I  stood  a 
few  short  months  ago;  what  I  am  doing  to- 
night, and  my  hopes  for  the  future. 

"  A  portion  of  this  experience  I  love  to 
repeat.  A  portion  of  it  is  very  dear  to  me. 
Let  the  remainder  be  humiliating  as  it  may,  I 
will  repeat  it,  thinking  I  may  arrest  some  one 
on  a  mad  and  downward  career.  When  I  fehink 


Converted  G-ambler.  227 

of  my  past  life,  it  don't  seem  to  me  that -it  is 
altogether  my  fault.  I  never  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  becoming  a  good  man,  as  many  of  you 
have  had.  At  the  age  of  six,  my  father  died, 
and  at  the  age  of  ten  I  was  called  to  the  bed- 
side of  my  dying  mother.  There,  with  my 
right  hand  placed  upon  her  cold  forehead,  I 
promised  her  that  I  would  be  a  good  man,  and 
that  I  would  meet  her  in  Heaven.  Oh,  how 
many  years  have  passed  that  I  have  neglected 
that  promise !  How  many  years  have  passed 
since  I  saw  that  cold,  pale  face,  and  those 
quivering  lips  uttering  that  prayer — the  prayer 
with  which  she  breathed  out  her  precious  life 
—  the  last  words  of  which  were:  'God  have 
mercy  on  my  boy !  * 

"Then  I  was  alone  with  my  sacred  dead, 
and  with  nothing  but  a  wide  and  wicked  world 
like  this  before  me,  without  even  a  sister's 
love.  After  my  mother's  death  I  became  a 
farmer's  boy,  in  which  capacity  seven  years  of 
my  life  were  spent,  as  a  white  slave. 

"  I  had  no  schooling,  and  no  friends.  After 
leaving  the  farm  I  became  a  soldier ;  then  a 
merchant;  then  a  drunken  gambler;  then  — 
last  and  worst  of  all  —  a  saloon-keeper. 

"In  1862,  I  enlisted  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States.  My  command  was  ordered  to 
Lexington,  Kentucky.  There  I  saw  my  first 
deck  of  cards,  and,  as  many  soldiers  did,  I  soon 

10* 


228  Mason  Long: 

learned  to  play.  And,  to  show  you  that  I  was 
an  apt  scholar,  in  less  than  three  years  from 
the  time  I  learned  to  play  I  won  eleven  thou- 
sand dollars.  We  had  many  hardships  during 
the  three  years'  service.  I  was  in  thirteen 
general  engagements  and  sixty  skirmishes,  and 
never  got  a  scratch.  At  the  second  day's  fight 
at  Nashville  my  brother  was  killed  ;  and  the 
only  satisfaction  I  have  is  to  know  that  he  died 
a  brave,  sober  man. 

"  At  the  close  of  the  war  I  came  to  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  and  engaged  in  the  grocery 
and  provision  business,  in  which  I  did  very 
well  until  my  health  began  to  fail  me.  Then, 
through  a  physician's  prescription,  I  took  my 
first  drink  of  whisky.  It  was  given  as  a  tonic. 
And,  to  show  you  that  I  was  an  apt  scholar, 
again,  in  three  weeks'  time  I  could  drink  it  out 
of  a  jug;  and  in  five  years  from  that  time  I 
was  a  poor,  reeling  drunkard  on  the  streets  of 
Fort  Wayne,  without  a  dollar  in  the  world. 
After  that  I  rallied  and  opened  a  gambling 
room,  in  which  thousands  of  dollars  would 
change  hands  every  month.  Financially,  I  did 
very  well  with  the  gambling  room ;  but,  not 
being  satisfied,  I  opened  a  saloon  in  connec- 
tion with  it.  I  made  a  very  fine  place.  I  cov- 
ered the  floor  with  Brussels  carpet,  provided 
the  finest  of  billiard  tables,  with  a  bar  and  a 
side-board  that  cost  me  five  hundred  dollars. 


Converted  Gambler.  229 

My  pool  tables  were  on  the  second  floor.  The 
club  room  was  in  the  rear.  This  house,  in  this 
condition,  netted  me  $8,000  in  one  year,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  same  year  I  had  squandered  the 
whole  of  that  amount  and  was  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  in  debt — all  through  drink  and  reck- 


"  I  have  been  a  great  lover  of  fast  horses  in 
my  time.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  I  would 
follow  the  trotters  all  over  this  country.  I 
have  been  very  unlucky  as  a  horse-shark. 
I  am  satisfied  that  horse  racing  has  cost  me 
$10,000.  Since  the  war  I  have  seen  all  the 
principal  races  of  this  country.  I  saw  Gold- 
smith Maid  make  her  best  time.  I  saw  the 
great  race  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  which  the 
famous  trotting  stallion,  Smuggler,  beat  the 
Maid.  I  went,  the  same  summer  to  Saratoga, 
and  saw  the  great  steeple-chase  race,  in  which 
Osage,  the  famous  American  runner,  fell  and 
broke  his  neck.  They  claim  that  half  a  million 
of  dollars  changed  hands  in  that  race.  On 
those  trips  many  funny  incidents  occurred. 
I  started,  once,  to  Jackson,  Michigan,  to  attend 
the  races,  and  got  broke  and  left  my  baggage 
for  board  at  the  hotel.  I  started  out  to  go 
through  the  entire  circuit  of  the  season's  races, 
and  I  was  ashamed  to  go  home  the  first  week. 
So,  I  got  me  a  ninety-cent  valise  and  took  the 
horse  train  for  East  Saginaw,  Michigan.  On 


230  Mason  Long: 

arriving  I  had  no  money  with  which  to  pay  bus 
fare ;  so,  I  took  it  a  foot  to  a  hotel.  On  the 
way  I  was  caught  in  a  shower.  When  I  got  to" 
the  hotel,  having,  as  I  supposed  a  respectable 
showing  of  baggage,  I  started  at  once  for  the 
register.  As  I  neared  the  office  counter  the 
landlord  threw  up  both  hands  and  exclaimed, 
'  I'm  full ! '  I  saw  that  he  had  his  eyes  on  my 
valise.  I  looked  at  it,  and  to  my  surprise  I 
saw  that  it  was  a  pasteboard  affair,  and  that 
the  rain  in  which  I  had  been  caught,  bad 
melted  one  side  of  it  down.  All  I  had  iu  it 
was  a  pair  of  'stand-up'  socks  which  I  had 
worn  the  week  before,  and  which,  on  my  enter- 
ing the  hotel  office,  had  dropped  out  on  the 
floor.  I  did  not  blame  the  hotel  man  for  saying 
he  was  full.  I  took  in  the  situation  at  a 
glance,  and  dropping  my  baggage,  I  told  him 
that  I  was  full  too,  and  left  the  house.  From 
East  Saginaw  I  went  to  Detroit ;  then  to 
Cleveland,  O.;  then  to  Buffalo  and  to  Roch- 
ester, N.Y.  Going  from  thejast  named  city  to 
Utica,  N.Y.,  I  was  on  a 'spree  and  was  too  tired 
to  get  off  the  train.  So,  I  was  carried  on  to 
Albany,  N.Y.  Here  the  gong  for  breakfast 
awoke  me.  I  found  one  of  my  shoes  in  one 
car,  the  other  in  another  car,  and  an  empty 
whisky  bottle  in  each  shoe.  I  felt  in  my 
pockets  and  found  that  I  had  no  money.  On 
these  sprees  I  would  forget  to  eat  for  days  and 


Converted  Gambler.  231 

days.  That  was  the  case  on  this  one.  I  was 
very  hungry.  So,  I  drifted  into  the  large 
dining-room  and  took  a  seat  by  the  side  of  an 
old  Yankee.  He  asked  me  where  1  was  from. 
I  told  him  I  was  from  the  west. 

"'What  are  you  doing  down  here?'  he 
asked. 

'"I  am  following  the  trotters  around,'  I 
replied. 

" '  Well,  my  boy,  let  me  give  you  a  piece  of 
advice.  Look  well  to  your  money.  This 
country  is  flooded  with  thieves  and  pick- 
pockets ;  and  the  first  thing  you  know  you 
won't  have  a  cent.' 

*'  *  Let  them  come,'  I  answered,  '  they  will 
make  a  water-haul  on  me,  for  I  hain't  got  a 
cent.' 

"  By  this  time  I  had  finished  my  breakfast.' 
Now,  the  great  question  was,  how  I  should  get 
out.  I  went  to  the  desk,  picked  up  a  tooth- 
pick, and  started  out  at  the  door.  A  big 
fellow  tapped  me  on  the  shoulder  and  said,  '  A 
dollar,  please.'  I  turned  and  pointed  to  the 
old  gent  with  whom  I  had  conversed  at  the 
table,  and  said, '  Father,  over  there,  will  settle.' 
I  have  often  wondered,  since,  how  'dad'  got 
out,  but  I  didn't  stay  to  see,  at  that  time,  I 
assure  you. 

"  I  went  from  Albany  to  Utica.  I  had  a  rail- 
road letter  that  did  not  belong  to  me.  I  would 


232  Manon  Long  : 

show    this    to    the    conductors.     It    read    as 
follows : — 

To  BROTHER  CONDUCTORS: 

The  bearer  has  been  a  brakeman  on  my  train  for  the  past 
two  years.     Any  favors  shown  him  will  b»  appreciated  by  me. 

Yours,  etc., 

"  This  letter  would  take  very  well.  I  never 
had  any  trouble  with  it  but  once.  That  was 
on  the  Central  road  coming  from  Syracuse.  A 
little,  peaked  nosed",  Yankee  conductor  entered 
the  car  in  which  I  had  taken  passage,  came  up 
to  me  and  asked  me  for  my  fare  in  that  sharp, 
half-feminine  voice  so  common  to  a  certain 
class  of  down-easters.  I  showed  him  my  letter 
and  asked  him  if  he  would  recognize  it.  He 
took  it,  looked  it  over  critically  and  said,  '  I 
can't  carry  you  on  that  letter.'  '  What  ? '  said 
I.  '  I  can't  carry  you,'  he  answered.  *  Well,' 
I  said,  *  I  have  been  a  slave  to  the  railroads  all 
my  life,  and  now,  here,  many  miles  from  home, 
and  it  dark  and  raining,  I  suppose  I  will  have 
to  get  off  and  walk.'  This  touched  the  tender 
spot  in  that  razor-faced  Yankee.  He  looked 
me  in  the  eye  for  a  moment  and  then  told  me 
to  go  and  sit  down.  ^ 

*'  This  trip  brought  me  to  Buffalo,  from  which 
city  I  went  to  back  to  Cleveland.  In  the  latter 
place  I  staid  three  weeks  and  did  nothing  all 
that  while  but  drink  whisky.  I  was  under  the 
influence  of  liquor  every  hour  that  I  was  there. 


Converted  Q-ambler.  233 

"  The  last  two  days  of  my  sojourn  in  that 
city,  and  the  day  following  my  departure  were 
among  the  most  remarkable  in  my  drinking 
career.  I  had  steeped  my  brain  in  whisky  till  its 
powers  of  natural  action  was,  for  the  time 
destroyed  —  till  it  was  cooked  into  that  distem- 
pered condition  which  plunges  its  possessor  into 
the  hell  of  delirium  tremens.  Sensations  such 
as  I  had  never  had  the  slightest  conception  of 
before  came  over  me  like  a  fearful  storm-cloud 
and  threw  my  whole  nervous  system  into  horri- 
ble discord,  and  my  mind,  what  little  I  had,  into 
insanity. 

"  All  at  once,  by  some  sort  of  magic,  I  was 
converted  from  a  poor,  broken  gambler  into  a 
wealthy  dealer  in  live  stock.  I  owned  an 
immense  herd  of  cattle,  which  for  two  days  I 
vainly  tried  to  sell.  Never  did  any  thing  stick 
to  a  man  like  that  drove  of  steers  stuck  to  me. 
On  the  streets,  at  table,  in  the  saloons  I  entered, 
in  the  sleeping  apartments  in  which  I  found 
no  rest  —  every  where  they  crowded  around 
me  and  tormented  my  soul  beyond  measure  by 
their  ceaseless  lowing,  bellowing,  and  fighting. 
I  spent  forty-eight  hours  trying  to  sell  them. 
Bufr  Cleveland  had  no  market  for  my  elfish 
Texan  long-horns.  They  became  so  unruly  that 
I  determined  to  leave  them,  seeing  they  would 
not  leave  me.  I  took  the  cars  for  home.  They 
followed  me,  and  on  fantastic,  bovine  wings 


234  Mason  Long: 

kept  pace  with  one  of  the  fastest  lightning 
express  trains  that  ever  turned  a  wheel.  Every 
time  a  car-window  was  raised,  the  head  of  a 
wild  steer  was  thrust  through  it,  poking  his 
bayonet  pointed  horns  right  at  me.  When  I  got 
home  I  thought  I  would  leave  the  train  as  quietly 
as  possible,  thinking  they  would  go  on  down  the 
Wabash.  I  had  not  got  three  squares  from  the 
Fort  Wayne  depot  when  I  looked  back,  and 
behold !  the  whole  drove  was  concentrated  into 
one  big  ox,  and  he  had  a  horn  ten  feet  long,  and 
was  coming  full  tilt  right  at  me.  I  was  fi/e 
days  getting  out  of  the  way  of  that  horn. 

"  I  would  say  that  if  any  farmer  in  this  county 
could  have  seen  that  steer,  looking  as  healthy 
as  he  did  to  me,  he  would  never  try  to  raise 
another  short-horn. 

"  Now,  boys,  I  give  you  this  bit  of  experience, 
not  for  the  fun  there  is  in  it,  but  to  warn  you 
against  the  path  in  which  I  have  trod. 

"  I  want  to  compare  my  feelings  of  to-night 
with  those  of  the  awful  night  on  which  I  left 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  No  artist  in  the  world  can 
paint  a  picture  half  so  horrible  as  that  drove  of 
cattle  was  to  me.  On  the  other  hand,  no  knight 
of  the  brush  can  paint  a  picture  half  so  beSnti- 
ful  as  the  one  which  now  thrills  my  soul. 
Everything  in  which  I  knew  there  was  sin  I 
have  given  up.  I  am  perfectly  happy.  My 
present  life  is  to  me,  like  an  enchanting  dream. 


Converted  G-ambler.  235 

The  change  of  associations  and  the  enrapturing 
change  of  heart  make  everything  bright,  and 
fill  me  with  the  bliss  of  heaven  itself  at  this 
moment. 

"  But,  then,  I  have  dark  days.  O,  I  have  hours 
so  full  of  the  gloom  of  regret !  —  hours  in  Avhich 
I  see  rising  before  me  the  images  of  my  fallen 
victims.  And  'who  are  they,'  do  you  ask? 
Why,  the  men  whom  in  former  years  I  sent 
reeling  from  my  saloon  out  into  the  black  mid- 
night, and  who  were  locked  in  the  horrible 
embrace  of  a  drunkard's  death  before  they 
reached  their  homes.  Often,  O,  too  often !  have 
I  heard  the  bell  toll  for  these  poor  creatures. 
Then  would  come  the  hearse  and  one  or  two 
conveyances,  with  the  widow  and  her  little 
ones,  clothed  in  faded  'dresses.  Wicked  as  I 
was,  in  those  days,  my  conscience  never  failed 
to  smite  me  at  the  sight  of  such  scenes  of  the 
woe  which  I  was  causing.  More  than  once,  on 
occasions  of  this  sort,  sick  with  the  contempla- 
tion of  the  fearful  fruits  of  my  trade,  I  have 
turned  from  the  front  door  of  my  richly 
furnished  slaughter-pen,  and,  retiring  within  its 
fatal  walls,  have  met  the  heartless  consolation, 
1  Wly  need  you  care  for  that  old  drunkard  ? 
You  had  a  right  to  kill  him.  You  have  got  your 
license  on  the  wall.  The  law  of  the  State  of 
Indiana  protects  you. '  Think  of  the  degraded 
being  who  could  thus  pander  to  one  whose 


286  Mason  Long: 

business  was  sweeping  that  being  into  the  same 
vortex  which  had  engulfed  the  'old  drunkard' 
whom  he  assumed  to  regard  with  such  contempt. 

"  The  law  of  Indiana  did  protect  me,  and  it 
still  protects  every  liquor-seller.  But  when  we 
shall  appear  before  the  judgment  seat,  that  law 
will  there  be  stricken  out,  and  every  saloon-keeper 
who  dies  without  having  repented  the  crimes  of 
his  traffic  will  stand  before  the  Q-od  of  the  universe 
a  convicted  murderer,  while  the  State  of  Indiana 
will  be  held  particeps  criminis. 

"Can  you  blame  me  for  giving  every  hour 
allotted  to  me  from  this  day  forward  to  the 
cause  of  temperance?  I  feel  that  there  is  a 
great  deal  for  me  to  do  to  balance  the  account 
against  me  in  God's  book  of  remembrance.  In 
this  work  I  am  cheered  by  His  presence  and  the 
hope  of  the  glorious  life  which  is  to  come. 

"  An  artist  has  presented  me  with  a  picture 
showing  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future 
of  a  reformed  drunkard.  The  past  is  a  scene 
of  woe  over-hung  with  the  clouds  of  despair. 
The  present  shows  a  bright  running  stream, 
with  its  fountain-head  springing  directly  from 
heaven.  The  future  is  the  sweet  land  of  Eden, 
illumined  by  the  eternal  sunshine  of  the  Ffther 
of  mercies.  Gazing  upon  the  dark  scene,  we 
see  two  little  stepping  stones  that  are  intended 
to  lead  the  drunkard  out  to  the  solid  rock  in 
the  clear,  rippling  present.  Yonder  you  behold 


Converted  Gambler.  287 

the  poor  inebriate,  wrapped  from  head  to  foot 
with  the  serpent  of  intemperance.  Hands  beckon 
to  him ;  strong  voices  hail  him  and  urge  him  to 
leave  the  miry  marshes  of  dissipation  and  walk 
out  on  the  pillar  of  salvation.  With  trembling 
limbs  he  strides  forward,  places  his  feet  on  the 
sure  foundation ;  the  reptile,  scorched  by  the 
rays  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  falls  writhing 
at  his  feet,  and  he  stands  a  free  man  rejoicing 
in  his  liberty. 

"  In  my  case  it  was  a  little  different;  When 
I  took  my  first  step  forward,  while  I  felt  that  I 
could  not  retreat,  it  seemed  impossible  for  me 
to  make  any  further  advance  ;  for  I  could  not 
get  my  eyes  off  the  miseries  of  the  past.  But 
while  I  was  in  this  critical  condition  the  good 
people  of  the  old  Ark  of  Safety  came  to  my  res- 
cue, and,  taking  me  by  the  arm,  led  me  to  the 
Rock  that  is  higher  than  I,  on  which,  thank 
God,  I  am  this  night  firmly  planted. 

"O,  praise  His  Holy  Name,  I  am  now, 
through  no  merit  of  mine,  but  through  the 
alone  merits  of  a  crucified  but  victorious  Savior, 
redeemed  from  the  dismal  swamp  of  alcoholic 
damnation,  and  this  moment  stand  before  you 
one  %f  the  most  amazing  examples  of  the 
Father's  goodness  on  whom  the  sun  ever  shone. 

"  I  am  here,  thank  the  Lord,  a  reformed  man, 
not  resting  in  my  own  freedom,  but  anxious  to 
go  with  you,  temperance  people,  in  the  life- 


238  Mason  Long: 

boat  of  the  gospel  out  among  the  ragged  rocks 
of  the  maddened  breakers  of  the  dark  ocean  of 
debauchery,  which  is  flooding  the  world,  to 
snatch  from  the  jaws  of  death  the  helpless  vic- 
tims of  rum,  and  having  brought  them  safely 
to  the  shores  of  peace,  to  join  you  in  letting  the 
winds  kiss  the  heavens  with  the  news  to  God 
that  we  have  done  His  will. 

"  I  .can  look  at  the  scenes  of  the  past,  in  the 
picture  to  which  I  have  alluded,  and  see  Judge 
Hammond's  distillery,  which  many  of  you  will 
remember  as  cutting  a  prominent  figure  in  the 
play  of  '  Ten  Nights  in  a  Bar  Room.'  I  see 
the  dark  waters  of  corruption  oozing  out  of  that 
establishment  and  blackening  the  earth  near 
the  beautiful  stream  of  the  present  of  the  saved 
drunkard,  but  it  can  not  mingle  with  the  waters 
of  this  bright  river,  for  they  flow  directly  from 
heaven.  I  can  see  the  director  of  that  distillery 
(the  devil)  perched  upon  its  top,  looking  down 
at  a  poor  wretch  whose  gaze  is  riveted  upon 
him.  The  victim,  like  a  bird  charmed  by  the 
fatal  glare  of  a  snake's  eyes,  can  turn  his  head 
neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left.  The  only 
light  by  which  the  horrid  picture  is  relieved  is 
that  of  tbe  lighting  of  God's  wrath,  \«hich, 
flashing  through  the  dark  clouds  that  envelope 
the  whisky  mill,  presents  one  of  the  most  appal- 
ling tableaux  ever  beheld  by  man. 

"  In  this  scene  I  can  see  hundreds  of  wrecks 


Converted  Gambler.  239 

in  my  past  life.  Simon  Slacle,  the  once  happy 
miller,  built  a  tavern  in  the  village  in  which 
this  distillery  was  located,  and  connected  a 
bar-room  with  it.  He  was  one  of  the  few  men 
who  drift  into  the  liquor  traffic  innocently.  He 
was  beloved  by  the  whole  community,  and  all 
the  first  people  of  the  place  patronized  him. 
Such  men  as  Hammond  would  call  and  see  him. 
Hammond's  son,  Willie,  the  brightest  boy  of 
the  village,  followed  in  h.o  father's  footsteps. 
In  less  than  ten  years,  ELiumond  died  in  the 
alms-house.  Willie  had  control  of  the  estate. 
He  became  a  gambler,  and  was  eventually  killed 
by  the  gambler,  Green,  in  his  father's  house. 
While  his  life's  blood  was  oozing  from  his 
wounds,  his  broken-heart  J  mother  fell  a  corpse 
across  him.  Thus  ended  the  Hammond  family. 
Joe  Morgan,  Slade's  former  partner,  had  now 
become  a  drunkard.  He  was  one  of  the  fight- 
ing kind,  and  no  one  could  do  anything  with 
him  when  he  was  drunk  but  his  little  daughter, 
Mary.  She  would  go  to  the  bar-room  for  him 
night  after  night.  On  one-  occasion,  while  he 
and  Slade  were  quarrelling,  Slade  hurled  a 
glass  at  him,  and  missing  him,  struck  Mary 
just  as  she  was  entering  the  saloon  door  to  take 
her  father  away.  She  was  carried  home,  and 
on  her  death  bed  drew  from  her  father  the 
promise  that  he  would  never  drink  again,  after 
which  she  passed  sweetly  to  her  rest.  Joe 


240  Maton  Long}: 

Morgan  never  took  another  drop  of  liquorjdur- 
ing  his  life,  and  became  a  wealthy  merchant. 
Mrs.  Slade,  the  once  happy  miller's  wife,  after 
the  death  of  Mary  Morgan,  lost  her  reason,  and 
was  taken  to  the  mad-house,  where  she  died. 
Slade  had  become  a  drunkard,  and  in  a  row 
with  his  own  son,  was  murdered  by  the  latter, 
who  knocked  out  his  brains  with  a  whisky 
bottle,  in  Slade's  own  bar-room.  So  ends  the 
tragedy  of  Ten  Nights  in  a  Bar-Room.  The 
man,  Slade,  made  more  drunkards  in  ten  years 
than  all  the  other  rum-sellers  of  his  village  did 
in  forty  years.  You  ask  how.  I  will  tell  you. 
He  was  one  of  those  rare  specimens  who  go 
into  the  whisky  traffic  with  clean  reputations, 
and  he  therefore  caught  a  class  of  men  that  the 
ordinary  dram-vender  can  not  reach — that  noble 
class  of  generous  hearts  who  are  the  ones  that 
invariably  sink  down  to  the  lowest  stratum  of 
debauchery. 

"  Now  do  you  know  that^Slade's  career  as  a 
retail  dealer  in  liquid  damnation  was  very  like 
my  own  in  many  particulars.  When  I  opened 
my  place  on  Calhoun  street,xin  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  I  do  not  know  that  I  had  an  enemy  in 
the  world.  I  bought  out  a  man  who  was 
taking  in  only  from  three  to  eight  dollars  a 
day.  On  the  very  first  night  of  my  proprietor- 
ship, I  took  in  forty  dollars,  and  my  trade  kept 
increasing  till  it  looked  like  a  county  fair 


Converted  G-ambler.  241 

around  the  bar,  and  my  customers  were  all  of 
the  higher  class.  When  I  quit  the  place,  I  did 
not  have  a  friend  on  earth,  unless  it  was  some 
poor  drunkard,  like  myself,  who  had  no  means 
of  support.  Thus  will  any  man  who  drinks 
whisky  wind  up. 

"  Now,  then,  let  us  as  Christian  people  do 
our  duty.  I  am  ready  to  go  with  you  back 
among  the  ruins  which  mark  the  course  of  the 
black-winged  destroyer,  in  search  of  those  who 
are  yet  groping  around  in  the  bogs  of  intem- 
perance. 

"  Let  me  say  a  word  to  praying  people.  Re- 
member your  duty  when  you  meet  a  poor 
drunken  man  on  the  street.  Don't  pass  him 
by  with  an  air  of  scorn.  Stop  and  speak  a  kind 
word  to  him.  Perchance  it  may  go  down  into 
his  heart,  and  there  finding  a  resting-place, 
produce  a  smiling  harvest  of  good  in  the  future. 
If  your  kindness  succeeds,  you  will,  nine  times 
in  ten,  save  a  noble-hearted  man.  Never,  in 
all  my  life,  have  I  known  a  mean,  penurious 
man  with  a  pawn-broker's  soul,  to  become  a 
drunkard.  It  is  nearly  always  the  best  man 
who  gets  down  the  deepest. 

Here  I  am  reminded  of  the  lady  who  dropped 
her  diamond  ring  in  a  mud-hole.  Looking 
vainly  up  and  down  the  street  for  some  one  to 
recover  that  ring  for  her,  she  rolled  up  her 
sleeve,  thrust  her  hand  down  into  the  muddy 


242  Mason  Long: 

water,  and,  finding  her  jewel,  rinsed  it,  held  it 
up  to  the  sun  and  exclaimed,  '  It  is  a  diamond 
still!' 

"You  will  find  many  *gcnw  of  purest  ray 
serene '  at  the  very  bottom  of  tiie  filthy  pool  of 
intemperance  ;  and  it  is  your  duty  to  roll  up 
your  sleeves  and  reach  down,  though  you  may 
get  your  hands  dirty,  and,  clutching  them  in 
the  strong  grasp  of  love,  bring  them  out  into 
the  sunlight  of  God.  Great  will  be  your  re- 
ward if  you  are  found  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  this  duty.  Why,  it  was  only  a  little  Sunday- 
school  scholar  that  God  used  in  saving  me. 

"During  the  BJue  Ribbon  movement  in  Fort 
Wayne,  I  drifted  one  night  into  the  old  rink  in 
which  the  meetings  were  then  being  held. 
Soon  I  was  surrounded  by  a  band  of  the  pray- 
ing mothers  who  were  such  efficient  workers  in 
that  mighty  temperance  revival. 

" '  We  want  you  to  sign  the  pledge,'  said 
they  to  me. 

"  '  What  is  the  use  of  my  signing  it  ?  '  I  an- 
swered ;  '  I  would  have  to  break  it  to-morrow.' 

"  '  No  you  won't ;  and  we  will  not  let  you 
go  home  till  you  sign.' 

"Well,  I  saw  there  was  no  chance  of  getting 
out  of  the  thing.  So  I  made  them  a  promise, 
which  I  didn't  intend  to  fulfill,  that  I  would 
come  back  the  next  night  and  sign  the  pledge. 
This  did  not  satisfy  them,  until  a  sweet  little 


Converted  G-ambler.  243 

girl,  whose  face  beamed  with  heavenly  light, 
stepped  up,  and,  gently  accosting  one  of  the 
ladies,  said  in  dulcet  tones  that  thrilled  me 
through  and  through : 

"  '  Mamma !  let  him  go  home.  He  is  telling 
the  truth.  He  will  come  and  sign  to-morrow 
night.'  Then  raising  her  angelic  eyes  till  they 
met  mine,  she  said  to  me  : 

" '  You  WILL,  WON'T  YOU  ?  ' 

"  The  aisle  was  now  open,  and  I  went  to  my 
room  and  tried  to  gamble,  but  I  could  not.  I 
went  out  and  tried  to  play  billiards,  but  could 
not  roll  a  ball.  Wherever  I  went  I  could  hear 
nothing  but  those  cherubic  words,  *  Ton  will, 
won't  you?'  All  night  long  they  rang  like  par- 
adisic chimes  in  my  ears.  On  the  following 
morning,  at  the  breakfast  table,  every  dish  I 
touched  echoed  back  the  inspiring  strain,  '  You 
will,  won't  you?"1  And  throughout  that  most 
memorable  of  all  the  days  of  my  life,  the  air 
was  everywhere  resonant  with  the  spell-binding 
appeal,  '  You  will,  won't  you  f ' 

"  Those  words  of  the  Holy  Spirit  from  the 
honeyed  tongue  of  an  earthly  seraph  were  the 
first  that  ever  pierced  my  calloused  heart,  and 
roused  to  a  quickening  sense  of  my  needs  my 
long-slumbering  conscience. 

"  As  the  evening  shades  drew  oh  I  could 
scarcely  wait  for  the  rink  to  open.  One  of 
the  dear  Lord's  messengers  had  resurrected  my 


244  Mason  Long: 

dead  manhood  by  an  expression  of  unclouded 
faith  in  my  promise,  and,  at  the  cost  of  my  life, 
I  would  have  shown  myself  worthy  of  that 
faith. 

"  When  the  hour  came,  I  was  the  first  man 
to  walk  down  the  aisle  of  the  old  skating  tem- 
ple and  sign  the  pledge,  which,  I  am  glad  to 
say,  I  have  honored  up  to  the  present  moment, 
and,  God  helping  me,  I  will  never  break  it. 

"The  power,  for  good,  of  kindness  and  of 
confidence  in  humanity  can  never  be  measured. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  chilling  effects  of  disre- 
gard and  of  cold  neglect  can  never  be  known 
this  side  of  eternity. 

"I  once  knew  a  man  of  great  wealth  and 
respectability — one  who  possessed  the  noblest 
qualities  as  a  neighbor,  and  whom  everybody 
who  knew  him  respected.  He  had  a  down-fall 
in  business,  and,  to  drown  his  sorrow,  took  to 
drinking.  Soon  it  was  noised  around  that  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  getting  drunk ;  and  finally, 
when  he  was  seen  reeling  on  the  streets,  his 
creditors  closed  in  on  him,  and  he  was  left  pen- 
niless and  friendless — none  seeming  to  desire 
to  be  known  as  having  any  thing  to  do  with 
him.  In  two  years  from  that  time  he  was  a 
gutter  drunkard. 

"  The  famous  little  horse,  Red  Cloud,  started 
out  a  few  years  ago  and  won  every  race  that 
was  in  his  class  for  several  seasons.  His  repu- 


Converted  Gambler.  245 

tation  became  such  that  his  owner  was  offered 
a  very  large  sum  of  money  for  him  on  condition 
of  his  beating  his  former  record.  On  the  day 
appointed  for  the  trial,  he  started,  and  went  to 
the  three-quarter  pole  a  second  sooner  than  he 
had  ever  done  it  before  ;  he  was  swinging  into 
the  stretch,  and  was  coming  home  like  a  bird 
cutting  the  wind,  when,  all  at  once,  he  stepped 
on  a  little  pebble,  went  lame,  and  failed.  From 
that  very  moment  he  was  not  worth  within 
eighty  per  cent,  of  his  former  value.  But  since 
that  time  his  owner  has  had  him  at  numerous 
horse  fairs,  at  every  one  of  which  he  has  drawn 
large  crowds  of  people  who,  though  they  knew 
he  was  spoiled  as  a  racer,  were  anxious  to  see 
and  honor  him  for  the  laurels  he  had  won. 

"  But  all  the  good  the  poor  man,  of  whom 
I  told  you  a  minute  ago,  had  done,  was  forgot- 
ten so  soon  as  it  was  known  that  discourage- 
ment had  driven  him  to  dissipation.  Strange, 
is  it  not,  that  we  can  not  treat  our  fellows — 
and  the  noblest  souled  of  them  at  that — as  well 
as  we  do  dumb  brutes  ? 

"I  will  now  compare  myself  to  a  horse.  There 
used  to  be  an  old  gray  in  Ohio  that  was  a  good 
one,  but  he  was  badly  handled.  He  broke  his 
owner  up,  and  was  more  in  debt  to  the  National 
Association  than  any  other  horse  I  ever  knew. 
His  master  used  to  have  to  pay  $1,000  before 
he  could  start  him  in  a  race.  Finally,  he  was 


246  Mason  Long: 

taken  off  the  track  and  put  in  the  barn.  But 
last  spring,  a  neighbor  of  his  owner  went  and 
told  that  owner  that  if  he  would  give  him  a  ten 
years'  lease  on  old  gray,  he  would  pay  the  back 
entrance  money.  The  offer  was  accepted.  In 
a  short  time  the  horse,  in  the  hands  of  his  new 
proprietor,  went  into  the  race  at  Pittsburgh  and 
won  the  second  money.  Remember,  the  horse 
had  a  change  of  handling.  He  went  next  to 
Grand  Rapids  and  took  a  heat,  and  would  have 
won  the  race  had  it  not  been  for  the  jockeying; 
but  he  took  the  second  money  again.  Next  he 
went  to  Detroit,  and  won  the  race,  his  lessee 
taking  out  of  the  pool  box  $1,850. 

"  In  1865,  I  had  plenty  of  money,  and  was 
doing  a  paying  business.  It  was  *  Mr.  Long,' 
then.  After  a  while  I  became  a  drunkard  and 
gambler.  Then  they  called  me  '  Mase.'  I 
soon  lost  all  my  money,  and  then  my  friends 
left  me.  I  rallied,  did  well  again,  and  found 
men  who  would  indorse  me  for  $1,000  at  a  time. 
But  I  could  not  stand  prosperity.  I  soon  got 
to  reeling  again.  Then  everybody  dropped  me 
as  though  I  had  been  a  hot  potato.  I  finally 
got  in  debt  $1,500,  and  waited  two  years  for 
some  neighbor  to  take  me  out  of  the  barn  and 
put  me  on  the  turf  again,  but  he  never  came. 
But  when  that  darling  child  of  Heaven  took 
that  twenty-four  hour  lease  upon  my  honor,  I 
began,  under  my  improved  handling,  to  realize 


Converted  Gambler.  247 

my  manhood  once  more.  That  night  I  matched 
the  old  gray  horse  when  he  was  at  Pittsburgh. 
The  next  night,  when  I  signed  the  pledge,  I 
tied  him  when  he  was  at  Grand  Rapids,  and 
the  night  I  gave  my  heart  to  God  I  won  a  race 
that  no  horse  can  win.  All  the  money  you 
have  in  Lafayette  would  not  buy  it,  yet  it  cost 
me  but  the  asking. 

"  A  great  many  people  say  they  don't  want 
to  sign  the  pledge  ;  that  nobody  but  drunkards 
and  children  join  our  church.  I  know  better. 
Since  my  reformation  I  have  received  letters 
from  several  of  our  best  statesmen,  who  highly 
praise  the  great  Ribbon  movements,  and  some 
of  these  men  are  personally  identified  with 
these  movements.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have 
never  received  a  line  or  heard  a  word  from  any 
man  of  eminence  backing  up  the  liquor  traffic, 
or  recommending  the  use  of  liquor.  Even  Bob 
Ingersoll  says  that '  whisky  demoralizes  the  man 
who  makes  it,  corrupts  the  man  who  sells  it, 
and  sends  a  speedy  damnation  to  the  man  who 
drinks  it.' 

"  And  ye  who  speak  contemptuously  of  chil- 
dren joining  this  movement,  have  ye  ever  tried 
to  measure  the  power  for  good  exerted  in  this 
world  by  little  ones  ?  What  have  I  just  told 
you  about  my  own  conversion  ?  And  am  I  the 
only  full-grown  man  whose  heart  has  been 
stormed  and  captured  by  the  love  and  confi- 


248  Mason  Long: 

dence  of  a  child  ?  By  no  means.  The  world'* 
record  of  redeemed  men,  if  it  could  be  seen, 
would  show  tens  of  thousands  who  have  been 
raised  from  the  dead  just  as  I  was.  God  bless 
the  children !  Suffer  them  to  come  to  the 
pledge  table,  and  hinder  them  not ;  for  of  such 
is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  They  may  do  good, 
yea,  they  are  doing  good,  often  when  you  least 
expect  it.  I  would  rejoice  to  have  every  child 
in  Lafayette  join  me  in  this  grand  work  to- 
night. 

"  Now  I  have  a  word  for  the  men  who  drink 
and  gamble.  I  have  been  with  you  all  through 
life.  I  have  soldiered  with  you  ;  I  have  drank 
with  you  ;  I  have  gambled  with  you.  But  with 
you  in  the  path  of  sin  and  death,  I  can  no 
longer  travel.  I  love  you  as  men,  but  no 
longer  do  I  love  your  ways.  I  am  here  to-night 
to  reason  with  you,  and  to  show  you  the  light 
that  I  have  found.  Don't  you  remember  how, 
in  1861  and  1862,  you  tore  yourselves  away 
from  everything  that  was  dear  to  you  in  this 
world?  Don't  you  remember  how  you  left 
your  feeble  fathers,  your  praying  mothers,  }*our 
weeping  sisters,  your  heart-broken  wives  and 
children  who  vainly  clung  to  your  necks  to 
hold  you  back,  and  rushed  to  the  nearest  rally- 
ing point  to  place  your  names  on  the  grand  rQll 
of  the  country's  defenders  ?  You  said,  *  I  must 
go.  My  honor  is  at  stake  ;  my  government  is 


Converted  Gambler.  249 

in  danger.'  You  marched  on  and  on  till  you 
stood  a  living  target  before  the  enemy.  Why 
did  you  make  this  great  sacrifice  ?  To  save 
your  nation  and  vindicate  your  nation's  flag. 
Now,  we  are  here  to  enlist  you  again,  and  in  a 
cause  that  lies  as  near  the  hearts  of  all  good 
people,  and  involves  to  as  great  an  extent  the 
highest  interests  of  the  country,  as-the  matters 
which  were  in  issue  in  the  memorable  year  of 
1861 — a  cause  in  which  you  and  your's  are  di- 
rectly concerned.  Your  dear  ones  at  home  will 
be  filled  with  joy  unspeakable  to  hear  that  you 
are  going  with  us  in  this  grand  army,  battling 
for  the  right.  Do  you  remember  1865  ? — when 
you  came  home  from  the  war  ?  You  -were  then 
America's  bright  and  shining  stars.  Look  at 
yourselves  to-night  I  Are  you  what  you  then 
were  ?  If  you  are  not,  you  can  lay  your  fall  to 
that  thief  of  the  world  that  has  stolen  our  land 
and  ruined  so  many  of  our  brave  boys.  I  am 
here  as  a  recruiting  officer.  It  will  cost  you 
nothing  to  go  with  us.  We  do  not  subject  you 
to  an  examination,  but  take  you  just  as  you  are. 
You  will  not  see  the  examining  surgeon  till  the 
war  is  over ;  and  O,  how  I  do  pray  that  you, 
boys,  as  well  as  myself,  may  be  ready  to  meet 
Him  when  you  are  mustered  out  of  this  service. 
"  I  know  I  have  much  to  do  to  keep  myself 
straight,  and  I  am  trying  so  hard  to  do  it.  But 
thank  God,  I  have  a  Mighty  Helper.  But  I 


250  Mason  Long: 

should  not  have  that  Helper  if  I  had  not  turned 
and  taken  the  first  steps  toward  Him.  How 
well  I  remember  the  night  of  the  sixth  of 
August,  1877,  when  the  Christian  ladies  of 
Fort  Wayne  pointed  out  to  me  the  tem- 
perance star,  and  that  little  angel  of  Jesus 
fixed  my  gaze  upon  it.  Can  I  ever  forget  how 
those  golden  words,  k  You  will,  won't  you?' 
awoke  in  my  heart  the  long  silent  voice  of  my 
mother,  and  how  her  last  words,  *  G-od  have 
mercy  on  my  boy  ! '  chimed  in  with  those  of  the 
sweet  messenger  at  my  side. 

"  I  followed  that  temperance  star  till  it 
merged  itself  into  the  Star  of  Bethlehem.  I'll 
tell  you  how  it  was,  boys. 

"  In  a  few  weeks  after  I  signed  the  pledge  I 
wandered  one  Sunday  into  Dr.  Stone's  church, 
in  Fort  Wayne,  and  listened  to  a  sermon  every 
word  of  which  exactly  fitted  me.  Then  the 
choir  sang  *  What  shall  the  harvest  be  ? '  and  I 
wondered  what  my  harvest  would  be  from  the 
seeds  that  I  had  sowed.  As  I  was  leaving  the 
church  the  same  little  girl  who  revived  my 
lifeless  conscience  with  her  transfixing  4  Ton 
will,  won't  you  f '  came  to  me  with  a  book.  It 
was  the  Bible.  Handing  it  to  me  she  said, '  I 
have  marked  a  lesson  there  for  you.  Will  you 
study  it  ? '  Of  course  I  answered,  *  Yes.' 
Could  I  answer  anything  else.  I  went  to  my 
room  with  that  book.  I  soon  found  my  marked 


Converted  Gambler.  251 

passage.  It  read, ('For  we  must  all  appear 
before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ,  that  every 
one  may  receive  the  things  done  in  the  body, 
according  to  that  he  hath  done,'  etc)  I  could 
read  no  further.  My  whole  case  lay  in  that 
verse.  I  wondered  what  good  I  ever  had  done. 
I  tried  to  strike  a  balance  sheet,  and  I  found 
that  all  the  good  I  had  ever  done  wouldn't 
balance  one  day's  sin.  I  wondered  in  what 
condition  I  should  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ.  I  then  took  spiritual  counsel 
of  Dr.  Stone,  Dr.  Moffitt,  and  others.  I  told 
them  I  was  guilty,  and  that  I  knew  of  nothing 
better  than  to  lay  my  case  before  the  Great 
Judge,  and  trust  to  His  decision.  My  coun- 
selors indorsed  my  views  and  told  me  go  ahead. 
"I  presented  my  case  to  God,  and  in  the 
silent  hours  of  the  night,  awaited  alone  in  my 
room  the  result.  My  soul  was  miserable  in  the 
contemplation  of  the  wickedness  of  the  past. 
I  had  not  slept  for  several  nights.  I  went 
down  on  my  knees  and  asked  God  to  give  me 
just  one  hour's  sleep.  But  no  rest  came  to  my 
weary  eyes.  I  rose  and  turned  on  my  gas, 
whose  light  revealed  to  me  the  sight  of  my 
gambling  tables  and  my  splendid  side-board,  the 
latter  still  supplied  with  the  finest  liquors. 
Instantly  I  asked  myself,  '  Why  should  God 
bless  me  in  such  a  place  as  this? '  Remember, 
of  all  my  habits,  gambling  was  the  dearest.  I 
n* 


252  Mason  Long: 

loved  to  gamble,  as  I  loved  to  eat  when  very 
hungry.  So  much  was  I  enamored  of  it  that  I 
had  not  thought  of  giving  it  up  as  I  had  given 
up  the  use  and  sale  of  whisky.  My  demijohns 
and  bottles  were  corked  and  stowed  away  in 
my  side-board,  but  my  gambling  tables  were 
still  in  use.  I  thought  I  could  be  a  temperance 
man  and  a  gambler  at  the  same  time.  Yes, 
strange  as  it  may  seem  to  many,  I  even  thought 
I  could  be  a  Christian  and  a  gambler.  My 
passion  for  games  of  chance  wholly  blinded  me 
to  their  evils.  But  when  I  rose  from  my  knees 
that  night,  a  new  light  lit  up  the  one  still  dark- 
ened chamber  of  my  conscience,  and  I  saw  my 
great  mistake.  Right  then  and  there  I  made  a 
(full  surrender.  :  I  walked  to  the  door  and  bade 
my  gambling  room  an  eternal  adieu.  I  went  to 
a  hotel  and  retired  to  bed,  bedewing  my  pillow 
with  hot,  scalding  tears.  Completely  exhausted, 
I  soon  fell  asleep.  When  I  awoke  the  next 
morning  my  heart  was  as  light  as  a  feather,  and 
as  full  of  joy  as  it  could  be.  God,  O,  hallowed 
be  His  name  !  had  changed  it  in  the  stilly  hours 
of  slumber.  I  arose  and  hurried  down  street 
to  tell  the  good  news.  My  heart  was  clean ; 
my  soul  was  happy,  and  I  wanted  to  tell  it 
to  the  world.  I  am  here  to-night  to  tell  it  to 
you,  gambling  and  drinking  boys,  and  to  lead 
you,  if  possible,  by  way  of  the  temperance 


Converted  Q-ambler.  253 

pledge,  to  the  same  solid  rock  on  which  I  stand 
and  rejoice  in  the  glory  of  God. 

"But,  boys,  I  would  have  you  know  that  I 
have  my  dark  hours  —  hours  in  which  I  am 
tempted  and  sorely  tried.  The  monster  which, 
by  God's  help,  I  overcame  on  the  night  of  the 
sixth  of  August,  1877,  trails  me  wherever  I  go. 
He  is  here  to-night,  ready  to  spring  upon  me  if 
I  would  give  him  the  opportunity.  But  he 
shall  never  again  fasten  his  fangs  upon  me.  I 
don't  fear  him  now,  for  God  is  my  friend,  my 
unfailing  support. 

"  For  twenty-five  years  I  wandered  through 
this  world  with  no  guide  but  my  dying  mother's 
prayers ;  and  during  many  of  those  years  that 
guide  was  neglected,  forgotten.  But  I  want 
to  promise  you  now,  as  I  do  her,  that,  God 
helping  me,  I  will  never  forget  her  prayers 
again. 

"  And  here  I  will  say  to  her,  have  patience, 
dear  mother,  when  my  work  on  earth  is  done,  I 
.  will  stand  with  you  at  the  right  hand  of  God  ! 

"  May  He  bless  you  all.  Good-night!  Good- 
night! " 

The  speech  given  above  should  be  read  by 
everybody.  To  unreformed  men  it  is  a  power- 
ful exhortation.  To  reformed  men,  it  is  an 
almost  unexampled  piece  of  inspiration.  To 
staid  Christians  and  religious  teachers  it  is  wor- 
thy of  all  study  as  an  exposition  of  practical 


254  Mason  Long: 

theology  and  of  the  true  method  of  labor  among 
those  whom  Jesus  boldly  declared  He  came  to 
save.  To  all  that  class  of  moral  people  who 
adopt  the  miserable  policy  of  freezing  sinful 
souls  into  repentance  ;  of  driving  men  away 
from  their  errors  by  turning  to  them  the  cold 
shoulder,  Mr.  Long's  recital  of  the  influence 
that  led  him  to  sign  the  pledge  of  total  absti- 
nence, will  prove  eminently  instructive.  The 
sweet  confidence  and  the  unselfish  love  of  that 
little  girl,  whose  magic  appeal,  "  You  WILL, 
WON'T  YOU  ?  "  literally  turned  the  poor,  inebri- 
ate gambler's  darkness  into  day,  accomplished 
what  all  the  advice  and  all  the  lecturing  he 
ever  received  had  utterly  failed  to  accomplish. 
Those  divine  words  were  flashes  of  light  from 
the  Eternal  Throne.  From  the  great  heart  of 
God  Himself,  passing  through  the  pure,  confid- 
ing heart  of  an  innocent  child,  they  quickened- 
the  dead  affections  of  that  hardened  man, 
opened  his  eyes  to  his  wretched  condition,  and 
breathed  a  saving  vitality  into  his  long-asphyx- 
iated conscience.  Those  four  potent  monosyl- 
lables were  worth  more  to  his  gloomy  spirit 
than  all  the  set  discourses  to  which  he  had  ever 
listened. 

Praise  the  Lord  for  the  tender  darlings  who 
— amid  the  stifling  smoke  of  the  soulless  logo- 
machies, in  which  the  ambitious  pulpits  of  the 
nineteenth  century  are  butchering  Christianity, 


256 

driving  the  humble  away  from  the  church,  and 
putting  the  Savior  to  an  open  shame  before  the 
skeptical  world— raise  their  tiny  fingers  and, 
under  that  divine  inspiration  which  has  always 
preferred  sympathy  to  talent,  love  to,  learning, 
point  directly  and  so  charmingly  to  the  all- 
atoning  Lamb,  who,  while  with  man,  held  them 
up  as  the  earthly  type  of  His  Father's  dwelling 
place. 

All  other  important  facts  are  so  fully  given 
in  his  speech  that  I  refer  the  reader  to  that  for 
them,  and  proceed  to  close  this  chapter  with  a 
description  of  him  as  a  speaker  and  with  some 
account  of  his  temperance  labors. 

Mason  Long  is  a  very  earnest  but  never  a 
very  loud  talker.  He  rarely  rises  aboye  his 
monotone,  which  is  remarkably  musical,  pa- 
thetic, and  impressive.  To  few  orators  will  an 
audience  lend  a  more  eager  attention.  Uis 
touch  is  exceedingly  delicate,  and  his  appeals 
are  unusually  tender,  wonderfully  effective. 
When  he  closes  a  speech  with  that  prayer  to 
his  mother,  with  which  the  preceding  speech 
concludes,  there  can  be  seen  scarcely  one  dry 
eye  in  the  audience.  In  expression  he  is  ready 
and  fluent.  In  manner  he  is  graceful  and  dig- 
nified. His  diction  is  rich  and  florid.  His 
rhetoric,  though  open-  to  criticism,  is  faultless 
to  the  masses,  whom  he  invariably  charms.  To 
do  the  work  among  unreformed  drunkards  and 


256  Mason  Long: 

gamblers,  there  is  not,  perhaps,  a  more  effective 
speaker  in  the  country,  while  at  the  same  time, 
the  most  refined  love  to  hear  him.  He  is  clear- 
er of  provincialisms  and  slang  phrases  than  the 
great  mnjority  of  the  reformed  men  who  are 
now  on  the  platform.  This  commends  him  in 
an  especial  manner  to  those  people  who  are 
highly  sensitive  in  regard  to  the  use  of  such 
expressions. 

Since  his  reformation  he  has  been  keeping  a 
model  temperance  coffee  house  in  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  but  has,  nevertheless,  been  almost  con- 
stantly in  the  field  as  a  Blue  Ribbon  evangelist, 
and  has  done  a  vast  deal  of  good  in  Northern 
Indiana,  and  throughout  a  considerable  portion 
of  Ohio.  He  has  yiduced  thousands  to  sign 
the  pledge,  and  has  been  the  means  of  reform- 
ing hundreds  of  gamblers.  His  integrity,  hu- 
mility, and  deep  sincerity,  added  to  his  energy 
and  his  fine  natural  abilities,  render  him  a 
mighty  power  for  good  in  the  land. 

And  when  they  shall  come  from  the  east  and 
the  west,  and  from  the  north  and  the  south,  and 
shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
Mason  Long  will  sit  down  with  the  rest  of 
them. 


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